A Bartered Lady Lord James Harkness is shocked to discover a "bride sale" taking place in his small English village -- and surprised by the depth of his feelings for the unfortunate gentlewoman being auctioned off by a disreputable husband. But is it honor and nobility that compel James to outbid the townfolk for the proud, beautiful lady -- or is it something more akin to...desire? A Mysterious Lord Verity Osborne is not sure whether good fortune or ill brought her to this dark, brooding man and his lonely manor house on the moors. Local talk brands James Harkness as evil -- but Verity senses a gentleness underneath. She dearly longs for her liberty, but his sensuous touch causes her to stay. However, James must first trust Verity with his secrets if they are ever to share love's rapturous freedom. And will the promised passion she sees flaming in his eyes warm Verity's heart...or burn her? Appalled to see a lovely Englishwoman about to be sold to the town's most repulsive bachelor at an illegal "wife sale," reclusive James Harkness, "Lord Heartless," impulsively bids for her himself and wins. But there is much more to Verity Osborne than he expects, and as she fights her own insecurities and struggles to maintain her dignity, she glimpses the tormented man behind Harkness's cold facade and sets out to save him with life-changing, ultimately romantic, results. Borrowing from both The Bartered Bride and Beauty and the Beast, Hern seamlessly interweaves diverse plot threads with a full complement of realistic, complex characters to form a poignant, compelling historical romance that is both true to the period and unusual in its detail. An old mystery adds interest, and the bleak and beautiful Cornish landscape lends a Gothic touch. Hern (Miss Lacey's Last Fling) is an established writer of well-received traditional Regency romances and lives in San Francisco. This is her first historical romance. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. A Bartered Lady Lord James Harkness is shocked to discover a "bride sale" taking place in his small English village -- and surprised by the depth of his feelings for the unfortunate gentlewoman being auctioned off by a disreputable husband. But is it honor and nobility that compel James to outbid the townfolk for the proud, beautiful lady -- or is it something more akin to...desire? A Mysterious Lord Verity Osborne is not sure whether good fortune or ill brought her to this dark, brooding man and his lonely manor house on the moors. Local talk brands James Harkness as evil -- but Verity senses a gentleness underneath. She dearly longs for her liberty, but his sensuous touch causes her to stay. However, James must first trust Verity with his secrets if they are ever to share love's rapturous freedom. And will the promised passion she sees flaming in his eyes warm Verity's heart...or burn her? Candice Hern is the award-winning author of historical romances set during the English Regency, a period she knows well through years of collecting antiques and fashion prints of the era. She travels to England regularly, always in search of more historical and local color to help bring her books to life.