Pendragon — Catherine Coulter

Dear Reader:

It's time for a bit of cat racing, a sinister mystery, and a light touch of gothic menace. Add the signature Sherbrooke grit and wit and voila, you have Pendragon.

Here's to the next generation--Tysen Sherbrooke now has four sons and Meggie, age 19. Her almost-cousin, Jeremy Stanton-Greville, Sophia Sherbroooke's brother, the man Meggie has held in silent adoration since she was thirteen years old, unknowingly breaks her guileless heart. Deeply depressed, she rallies with a hasty marriage to Thomas Malcombe, the earl of Lancaster and a brand new card in the Sherbrooke deck, in the spring of 1824, despite a very nasty rumor involving a local girl.

Thomas takes his bride to Pendragon, a castle on the southeastern coast of Ireland. A monstrous old place, filled with very eccentric folk, Pendragon nonetheless charms Meggie, until she discovers that she's there for a reason that could lead to disaster.