Etude Sur L'Emploi Des Bougies de Benique (1876)

Born the bastard child of Lord Raybourne of Valdenwald, abduction, rape, murder, and mayhem set the prelude to beautiful Edreiaas birth in Anglo Saxon England. Sixteen years later (1066), she suffers unexpected hardships that change her life forever following the fall of England during the Norman Conquest. When Valdenwald falls under siege by the Norman army, its leader, Mikkel, claims Edreia among the spoils of victory as his mistress. Vowing never to submit freely to his passionate nature, Edreiaas life becomes a conflicting struggle between hating him and loving him, intensifying after Cadena, Mikkelas betrothed, shows up unexpectedly at Valdenwald. A battle of wits ensues between Mikkelas mistress and his betrothed, finally culminating in a diabolical plot between three of Edreiaas enemies to murder her. As she struggles to stay alive, the prospect of an insecure future allows slim hope for what she truly desires: Mikkel.