Married at a young age, Mary Blackmore finds herself alone caring for her ailing father
and a young child. Knowing she must improve her situation, she resigns herself to marrying
the local squire. Although she's the daughter of a Scottish nobleman, they're now impoverished
and Sir John looks to be her most likely suitor and best prospect. Then comes Sebastian,
but not the Sebastian she married seven years ago. This man is totally different in appearance
and temperament. Or is he?
Sebastian could hardly believe his eyes - or the fates. Of all of the coastal villages
in England, he just had to end up at this one and meet Mary, the woman he married, and promptly
left seven years ago. He believes that any of the more tender emotions he may have had
toward her were erased during the years he spent in prison. He and Mary work out a plan
as they work together to rid each of the other. Sebastian will get what he needs so he
can leave the village and Mary will get what she needs for security and to stay.
The Scottish divorce Sebastian proposes will solve all of their problems - but does
Mary want the problems solved? That was the question she dare not ask herself. Even seeing
Sebastian as a fop and wastrel as opposed to the bright eager man he had once been can't
change her desire for him.
There's more to Sebastian than what the village people see. He is determined to restore
his family honor. With the vicar's excellent brandy, available only through free traders,
Sebastian gets his first clue that this particular village may actually lead him to a
solution for the puzzle he must decipher. But can he restore his family's honor while
destroying his wife's?
The Forgotten Bride is a wonderful read, complete with varying layers of love
and intrigue. Ms. Mackey's characters are witty and engage in some humorous verbal exchanges
in the style of the best regencies.