Sometimes, overcoming the past can be as challenging as surviving the present. Mary Crawford, vivacious, beautiful, and adored by many gentlemen, has a secret. Her confidence is a façade, and while she may welcome one and all, she trusts few. Gabriel Durward, an enterprising and wealthy tradesman, prizes integrity. Known for his shrewd business dealings, he is one gentleman that few would dare to cross. Mary has never met a gentleman quite like Gabe. He seems impervious to her usual ploys, never prevaricates or flaunts himself as so many others have, and even though he knows her faults, he still chooses her without any need to be persuaded to do so. It is enough for Mary to begin to open her heart. However, not everyone appreciates Gabe’s character as much as Mary does, and some of those individuals will go to great lengths to see him destroyed. When nefarious plans are put into action, Mary’s fledgling trust will be tested, and fear will raise its ugly head, tempting her to retreat. Will Gabe be able to survive the onslaught and finally prove to Mary that she can trust him to protect her heart with his very life? Mary: To Protect Her Heart is the third episode in Leenie Brown's Other Pens, Mansfield Park series of books. If you like well-written stories of sweet transformation with swoon-worthy, gallant heroes and strong yet vulnerable heroines, then you will enjoy this story about overcoming the past and learning to trust. So, put the kettle on, grab your copy of Mary: To Protect Her Heart , and let Gabe and Mary’s story guide you through rough seas into the welcoming safe haven of deep, enduring love. At the end of  Mansfield Park, Jane Austen wrote: Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery. I quit such odious subjects as soon as I can, impatient to restore everybody not greatly in fault themselves to tolerable comfort and to have done with all the rest. It is my goal in writing the books found in the Other Pens Collection to take up my pen and continue the stories of various Austen characters who were at fault in some way in Miss Austen's novels. In these stories of redemption and reformation, I do not look to dwell on the characters' guilt and misery so much as help them find a way to overcome their failures and find their own happiness.  This story -- Mary's story -- is the third in a series of tales featuring characters from  Mansfield Park  as well as some completely original characters whose lives have in one way or another been intertwined with the characters from  Mansfield Park .