"Two Legacies, Two Worlds vie for the Heart of a Woman with Special Abilities"
This is a medieval romantic fantasy with some dark
elements, mainly due to the time period and human nature,
rather than the paranormal aspect. Mariana de Reuilles is
the only child of a baron. For as long as she can remember
she's been quartered outside the main house. She is
legitimate, and therefore does not understand the reason
that her father chooses not to acknowledge her. Her
mother
had died long before, and she's had little contact with the
man. For this reason she's been plagued unmercifully by her
father's squires. She's had terrible dreams about her mother, and has
determined that the only way to conquer her fears is to
face them. In the middle of the night she sallies forth to
her mother's garden. It is a place few would brave at
that
hour, for it is said to be haunted. She had not
expected
company. Three young squires had also come to the garden,
on a dare. Two of the young men are her tormentors. The
third, Richard de la Guerche, takes pity on her, becoming a
champion of sorts. It is evident that he has feelings for
the girl. As time passes the two bullies continue to torment her
until, in her anger, she unleashes a force she'd been
unaware she had the power to create. Richard arrives in
the nick of time and urges her to close the door on it.
If
he has any notion of what she's just unleashed he isn't
given time to tell her. His father is very ill, and he's
been called home. This puts an end to their budding
romance as well for the time being. Someone else has the knowledge of who and what Mariana is,
her father's lover, Ibrahim. Through him her parents'
secrets are revealed. She learns the reason for her
father's seeming neglect and also of the legacy her mother
had gifted her with. Marianna had been raised as a
Christian like her father, but she finds she cannot turn
her back on the mother's legacy. She trains with
Ibrahim
for one year, and upon her return is at last welcome in the
keep. Her father is soon to be wed. Mariana had not forgotten Richard. He had become a part of
her dreams for the future. At her father's wedding
reception those dreams are shattered. Though Richard had
returned her feelings and shared in that dream, he had
acceded to his family's wishes, and become betrothed to
another. Mariana would find another as well. Henri de Baucaise, a knight of Christ, had recently
witnessed the burning of Cathars at Montsequr. He had
gladly taken leave of that place, to take up a quest to
recover a religious relic which had been spirited away by a
Basque mercenary, in the confusion of the day. The quest
leads him to Mariana's door. Taken with Mariana, he
proposes marriage. He is handsome and kind to her, and
Richard is lost to her. Mariana accepts. Unfortunately
her
stepmother, having learned of her husband's true nature,
also covets Henri, a former lover. In her jealousy of both
Ibrahim and Mariana she resorts to spells to punish them.
Her actions bring the Inquisition down upon them. Because of her nature, Mariana is in true danger. Her only
choice for survival is to flee. Richard has arrived for her
wedding. He is unwed, having determined that Mariana was
the only woman he could ever love. Fate brings the pair
together again as Mariana prepares to flee. Once more he
has become her champion. She intends to seek the
protection of her mother's people. But having found them
she learns that they need her protection more.� Her
talent
is special. Only she can save them from harm. But her
father is in danger as well. Can she turn her back on him
in his time of need. Does she possess the power inside to
save them both? How will she choose between the two worlds
in which she belongs, or the two men that love her? Does
the sacred relic in her possession hold the answers? February, 2001
Copyright © 2001
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted April 25, 2002
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