Born in Deception - Melville Cate

A young woman desperate to escape a lecherous cleric. A battle-hardened knight who's haunted by his past. A marriage of convenience, and a deception that could ruin them both.

Abandoned as an infant, Isabeau de la Frêne has lived a sheltered life at the abbey of St Leonards, under the protection of the abbess. When Isabeau catches the eye of a lecherous bishop, she finds herself in a desperate situation; stay and endure the bishop's attentions, or find a means of escape. 

The abbess sees only one way to protect Isabeau; grant her the land that the abbey sits on as a dowery, and then offer her, as an eligible wife, to the family who originally owned the land,. 

In desperation Isabeau agrees to the marriage, but she must conceal a secret, that if discovered, could destroy her, and the future she craves.

Ranulf d'Argentan is driven by a desire to out-run his past. Haunted by his family's betrayal, he is given an opportunity he can't resist: Reclaim the birthright his father lost, but only if he marries Lady Isabeau de la Frêne.

He agrees to the terms, not for love, but for land. Land that will give him the security he desires.

However, when he marries the beautiful, and mysterious, Lady Isabeau, he becomes aware of a deeper need; to be loved for himself. 

Can Ranulf and Isabeau overcome their own tormented pasts, and embrace a future where love truely does conquer all?

Born in Deception is a story about forbidden love, and a marriage of convenience, where class, and religion, dictate every aspect of life. But nothing is as it seems. Everyone has secrets, but some secrets are too dangerous to ever be revealed.  

Will love, and forgiveness, find a way to overcome such enormous obstacles? Read Ranulf and Isabeau's story to find out more.