An Unpitied Sacrifice

Brought together by war, Valeria Izquierdos and Harry Redepenning had only a few short months as a couple before the war parted them again. That war is long over when she brings a group of war brides and children to England. Her friends seek their soldier husbands. Valeria wants to find Harry or, at the very least, his father. Her eldest child deserves to know his English family. Harry has never forgotten, or ceased to mourn, the warrior wife he married in the midst of war, and lost to a French ambush years ago. His courtship of a suitable wife is a practical matter, not involving the heart that has been numb since Valeria's death. The Redepenning family greet Valeria with suspicion, but when Harry joyously confirms Valeria's identity, they welcome her and her children with open arms—not just Kiko, whose Redepenning eyes mark him as Harry's son, but also the daughter she adopted and the younger son who origins she has disclosed only to Harry. Just as Valeria and Harry are ready to resume their lives together, a bigger war looms before them. The lady who had been smugly awaiting Harry's proposal is less pleased with the couple's reunion. She and her parents set out to destroy Valeria's reputation, and find willing accomplices. An old foe of the Redepennings has combined forces with a man who blames Valeria for his brother's death, and who wants Valeria's youngest child. These enemies will stop at nothing to destroy not only Harry and Valeria, but also their children and their family.