Dharmasena cradled the newborn, his heart leaping every time he saw her move in his arms. The infant settled into his warmth and her cries faded into drowsiness. Her half closed eyes rested on her father.
"Father's pet!" Katyayana exclaimed, touched at the mist in Dharmasena's eyes. "She is going to take after you, Dharma!" Dharmasena was too taken by the infant to notice the personal address. The priest smiled and continued, "She will excel at anything she sets her heart upon! But the planets choose to show me more about her heart. Fearless to the core, she will become the shelter, the refuge to many. She will travel across the breadth of Bharatavarsha. Her company will comprise of the royalty, nobility and the commons. In other words, she will take after you, Annadata."
Fearless, shelter, refuge. The words fell upon Dharmasena's ears the very moment he saw the tiny lips curve into a smile.
"Abhaya,"he said. "Abhaya, the daughter of Dharmasena"
"Abhaya Dhaarmaseni!"
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Just when she's decided to leave the Town, Lady Cressida Belverst is forced to marry Lord Calan Haverston, the man who coincidentally knows a way out. Agreeing to marry for all the wrong reasons, can Cressida and Calan find out where their hearts truly belong?
***
It is impossible to leave the Town, but one woman is determined to escape with the help of her betrothed.
Lady Cressida Belverst has always been judged as a walking scandal. Oh, how she tries (on some rare occasions) to be proper! When her parents arrange for her to marry a rich lord, Cressida has had enough. She has to leave the Town because she will not be forced to live with a man she doesn't love. But what happens if the very man she's betrothed to is the only one who can help her get out?
Calan Haverston, the Lord of Easton, takes the risk and helps his betrothed by using his knowledge of the Town's secrets because he is as willing as she to stay free of marriage for reasons completely different. He has dark secrets he cannot share with her, and his life is not one he can likewise open to anyone. But what happens when she leaves after awakening desires he thought he has under control? And what happens when he finds himself longing for her?
Cressida goes to a completely different place, one she has only heard in stories and read in books, with hopes of finding what her heart has always longed for. But love, mystery and secrets will chase her and it will only be a matter of time before she realizes what her heart truly desires.
*This story is a standalone title in the Haverston Family series.