Clouds over Theden

Fifteen-year-old Jamelle Bonet is the daughter of a wealthy, French-born wine merchant living in England in 1619. When her father is executed for treason and stripped of his possessions, Jamelle must flee the country manor of her childhood and leave behind the trappings of her privileged upbringing. Her father's accuser makes a violent attempt to seduce her. With the aid of handsome Brent Foster, the penniless nephew of Lord Phillip Wagram, Jamelle resists. Her attacker is unexpectedly killed, throwing the lives of both young people into chaos. Brent flees to Virginia while Jamelle struggles in London's seamy underworld, still pining for Brent, who does not answer her letters. When a sum left secretly by her father comes into her hands, she sails for Virginia, ignoring qualms about Brent Foster as well as rumors about the hardships of Colony life. The reality is every bit as daunting as the rumors, but Jamelle is not one to quit Jamestown easily. She marries, gives birth to a daughter and is at her husband's side on Theden Hundred when Indian tribes launch a surprise attack. Little survives, but Jamelle finds love from an unexpected source and the courage to go on.