Petals on the River
Description:
Wrongfully arrested for theft in England, aristocratic young Shemaine O'Hearn arrives in Virginia on a convict ship, her clothes in tatters but her proud spirit undaunted. She's sold as an indentured servant to ship builder Gage Thornton, a widower with a two-year-old son, a man whose wife died under mysterious circumstances. Some call Gage a murderer, but Shemaine finds him to be a generous master, a caring father . . . and the one man who arouses her desires. Soon after they acknowledge the impossibility of living chastely under the same roof, they declare their love and marry. But the unexpected arrival of their families from England, coupled with a close attempt on Shemaine's life, complicates their deepening love and forces them to confront an adversary from Shemaine's past.