Gold's Bride — Sally Odgers

Wife for sale! When Jeremiah Gold buys the beautiful Garnet from her sot of a husband, he intends only to save her from degradation. Married by a convict parson, Jeremiah takes his bride to his remote selection, only to find Garnet fighting him at every turn. Fury soon turns to love and desire, but will either of them realize before it's too late? The time is 1830, the place the colony of New South Wales. Lively Garnet Perry has been sent from England to marry Edward Landis. Edward proves both elderly and impotent, and his terrible old mother engineers a situation that sees Garnet offered illegally for sale. Her new owner is settler Jeremiah Gold, who has come to Sydney Town in search of a hard-working wife, and who persuades a convict parson to marry them. Jeremiah's supposition that Garnet is experienced leads to a disastrous wedding night and Garnet's infamous powderflash temper erupts. Determined to tame his wife, Jeremiah sets her to work helping clear land for his new farming venture. Garnet escapes back to Sydney Town, but finds herself in even deeper trouble. Her ignominious return to Jeremiah sets the scene for a series of confrontations, but eventually, Garnet comes to love her stubborn husband. She would do anything to take back the bitter words between them, but now it seems too late. Can a marriage bought at auction ever be worth the price?