Patience Betrayed — Olivia Andem

PATIENCE BETRAYED...follows the title character through the courtship maze in 1816, during the era of Jane Austen. This sweet romance is about a young lady's starry-eyed quest for happiness that unfolds in the spa city of Bath, the English countryside and London. Each chapter begins with an epigraph taken from Miss Hawthorne's diary. An illustrated map and a character list enhance the reader's experience. Patience Hawthorne agrees to marry the titled gentleman chosen by her ambitious guardian uncle. Since being orphaned the year before, her life has been equal measures of hope and despair. Much like any young lady living in the Regency period, she is governed by the strict rules of society. Thus, knowing life is more than silk cloaks and dancing slippers, Patience finds the steadfast qualities of Lord Roger, the junior son of the Marquis of Pelgrave, more than acceptable. Her past experience in love is a sad one; her secret affection for another went unrequited, thus she charitably ignores the rumors about Lord Roger's romantic past. Whilst attending a wedding at ancient Bath Abbey, Patience is tested by the demands of her fiancé's illustrious family. How is she to respond? Being inexperienced in society, she relies upon a bridal advice book and worries when her opinions never seem to be considered. Misfortune, mischance and misdeeds lie in wait for Patience at every turn. The mistakes of the past, she soon discovers, will not suffer to be ignored. Meanwhile, she is embroiled in controversy when her cousins and guardian uncle ignore the rules of etiquette. When Patience must risk losing a precious legacy, will she do the right thing? Standing at the crossroads, she may have to rely upon the help of a gentleman who is the secret cause of her woes. This second in The Hawthorne Diaries saga is a self-contained drama. It is continuation of the first novel, PATIENCE BECOMES A LADY, which depicts the life of Patience after she is orphaned.