Alone in an alien forest, her memory gone. What if rescue only makes things worse? The girl wakes, in unremembered surroundings, to find she is injured, her gown dirtied and torn. What happened to bring her to this is a mystery. Moreover, she does not know who she is. Finding a damsel in distress in his grounds, the Earl of Wytham is prompt to the rescue. Yet Charles cannot rid himself of the suspicion this is one more ploy to inveigle him into matrimony. As Elaine—called so for want of any other name—recovers snatches of her past, questions mount. Is she married or merely a mistress? Why has no one come to claim her? Convinced she is not free, Elaine dare not give in to her heart. Can Charles overcome his doubts and indulge his growing attraction to Elaine? Or will the truth arrive too late?
Author
An avid reader from an early age, Elizabeth Bailey grew up in colonial Africa under unconventional parentage and with theatre in the blood. Back in England, she trod the boards until discovering her true métier as a writer in her thirties, when she fulfilled an early addiction to Georgette Heyer by launching into historical romance. Eight years and eight books later, Elizabeth joined the Harlequin Mills & Boon stable, fuelling her writing with a secondary career teaching and directing drama, and writing plays into the bargain. With 18 historicals published, Elizabeth turned to other genres, producing two titles (Fly the Wild Echoes and For One More Tomorrow) in the cross-genre literary/paranormal field as well as a suspense novella (Silence of a Stranger). She has several short stories available too and a guide for writers on editing. Continuing her foray into other genres, but returning to her favourite historical period, Elizabeth turned to mystery. She placed her female sleuth in the late Georgian world of intrigue, elegance, aristocrats and rogues, where privilege rubbed shoulders with the harsh realities of making ends meet. While Ottilia moves in the upper echelon of Society, she is thoroughly at ease in the lower, which allows Elizabeth to cross boundaries with impunity. These novels are now published with Sapere Books and the list continues to grow. Sapere also publish her Brides by Chance Regency Adventures, a series dedicated to the countless women who could not ordinarily hope for romance and marriage: poor relations, dowerless females, those who did not "take", orphans. In a word, the classic Cinderella heroine. Now retired from teaching, Elizabeth concentrates on writing and promotion, with a sideline in running an assessment critique service for writers.
