Somerville Book 2: Legacy

ENGLAND, 1790. Revolution in France threatens all of Europe. London smoulders with suspicion and resentment, stirred up by those whose interests lie in fomenting trouble. Rebecca Somerville, reluctant heiress of a bankrupt estate, is drawn ever deeper into a clandestine world. Her freedom - even her life - come under threat. Challenged from all sides, relying once more on her unconventional behaviour, she discovers friends and allies to back her up as she seeks to uncover more of the secrets of Somerville. Rebecca's life has transformed in less than a year. Now she should be more hopeless, more helpless, than ever as circumstances drive her into threatening corners. Yet newly transported to London, she acquires a growing band of allies to add to the few left behind at Marshwood, including her hitherto unknown benefactor, Jeremiah Pendleton. It transpires the latter has been in a long-running feud with the Earl of Marshwood, and has sought to inconvenience his search for the elusive Somerville treasure, inheritance of which has so thrown Rebecca's life on end. So Pendleton is only to ready to offer his assistance. Together they painstakingly begin to unravel the mystery. First, Rebecca has to try to save the life of her childhood friend, Robert, who is under threat. But this brings her into a clandestine world and deeper into other dangers in these turbulent days. Behaving unconventionally with a courage and daring beyond her years, Rebecca battles her enemies as they seek to bring her down. A street attack on the earl leaves him in dire peril and offers her a means to freedom, which she takes as far as she can. But in the end, once again she is forced to flee. And the loss of a beloved friend and support actually serves to ease that flight as Rebecca undertakes the next part of her story in her customary unconventional manner. Yet still she must find a way to extricate herself from the clutches of the Earl of Marshwood, and to uncover the secrets of the Somerville legacy.