The Song of the Thrush — Christine Pope

A slip of the lip lands her up to her elbows in hot water…and up to her heart in love. Many call Marenna Sedren free-spirited. Some opine she's spoiled. But none in Silverhold can say she is mean-spirited…on purpose. She truly didn't intend to insult Lord Sedassa, the only prospective suitor who's ever made her heart skip a beat. It's true that Crown Princess Lyarris' rejection drove the duke into two years' self-exile. But the moment his long-unshaven beard brushes Marenna's hand, an ill-timed comparison to a thrush's nest bursts from her wayward lips -- and his sparkling blue eyes turn to ice. On her furious father's order, Marenna finds herself wed to the very next man to cross the threshold: a tall, handsome, itinerant worker with barely a penny to his name. Worse, Corin Blackstone's final destination is Marric's Rest, Lord Sedassa's massive estate. Desperate to avoid the duke's notice, Marenna fumbles toward becoming a proper peasant wife, while Corin's hungry gaze makes her wish he would give her more than sweet, sensual kisses. But there's a secret hiding behind his warm, brown eyes. When she discovers the truth, it could restore her freedom…if that's what her heart chooses.