Lendle

"Tears ran down Kathryn's cheeks as she fought in terror, but she knew her efforts were useless. She heard the fabric of her dress ripping when suddenly the oppressive weight smothering her was lifted. In the dim light, Kathryn could just make out the profile of another man. As she watched, frozen in shock, her unexpected rescuer delivered a well-placed blow to her attacker's chin, sending him into unconsciousness as he slithered to the floor. Her temporary relief quickly dissipated when the newcomer turned to her. She hurriedly gathered the torn material of her dress together over her shoulder, scooting to a sitting position. She backed into a crate, cringing as she waited for another attack from the newcomer."-----When her great-grandmother warned her of a dark future, Kathryn Gloutingham did not take her seriously. She assumed it was just part of the parlor game her Romnichal relative liked to play with the gadjes, those who were not a member of the clan. Kathryn and her twin brother Sinclair had grown up sheltered from the truth of the horrors their mother had faced at their age. So it was that she dismissed her mother's warning of the scathing reception she should expect from the jealous debutantes and their mothers when they reached her best friend's "Coming Out Ball." Not only did she have to ignore the other debutantes scathing behavior, but she found herself avoiding a particularly determined Earl. Seeking refuge in the gardens, she discovered a peculiar foreigner watching her surreptitiously. After sharing the experience with her parents, they determined to send her back to the family estate in Bristol for her safety. Unfortunately, during the night prior to her departure, she and her friend were kidnapped and spirited away on a slave traders ship. Join author D. Darlene Sonntag on a journey fraught with adventure and peril, taking the girls over the high seas to one of the Maldive Islands, finally landing them in one of the most legendary harems of the early 19th Century, Topkapi Palace.