The Nest of the Sparrowhawk: A Romance of the Xviith Century

England, 1650s. The Commonwealth holds the island in its grim grip, but at Acol Court, the gentry still dance around the edges of ruin. Lady Sue, a headstrong heiress, finds herself caught between three men: a brooding secretary whose secrets weigh heavily upon him, a gallant French exile with a noble name and nothing left to lose, and the shadow of a royalist plot that could restore the throne or cost them all their heads. Above it all presides Master Hymn-of-Praise Busy, a Puritan butler whose righteous thunderbolts threaten to expose the very liberties the house has taken. Orczy weaves a tapestry of hidden identities, forbidden romance, and political intrigue with the same verve that made The Scarlet Pimpernel immortal. This is a novel that understands: love is most dangerous when it must hide, and loyalty is most precious when it is tested by danger. For readers who crave historical romance with wit, danger, and a heroine who chooses with her heart.