Mistress of Her Fate — Julia Byrne

Lady Eleanor fitzWarren had barely seen her father since he gave her into the 'care' of her uncle's dissolute household. Only by deceit and manipulation had Nell managed to hang on to her virtue, so it ill became Lord Rafe Beaudene to think her a whore, however things might have looked! Rafe might have been delegated to bring her to her father, prior to any marriage fitzWarren might arrange, but Rafe clearly had an agenda of his own. Was Nell simply to be a pawn between two powerful men bent on revenge?

Re-written for Kindle e-books in 2015: It is the autumn of 1464. The war between the houses of York and Lancaster is over and Edward IV is firmly on the throne. But after years of civil conflict, lawlessness still grips the land.
Against this background Lady Eleanor fitzWarren struggles to hold onto her virtue while living in her uncle's depraved household. When her father summons her home to arrange her marriage, Nell is glad to leave, but her relatives don't intend to let her and her inheritance slip out of their grasping fingers. Lord Rafael Beaudene has been sent to ensure her safe journey, but he has his own reasons for accompanying her.

When Rafe first sees Nell her behavior appears no better than a harlot's. Unfortunately for him, not only does he want her, she's also a useful pawn in his quest for revenge and justice. The only question is: will he take a wanton to wife or set her up as his mistress. He coolly decides on the latter, but as Rafe and Nell make a run for her home, staying one step in front of her pursuing relatives, they begin to question their first impressions of each other. Desire and a fragile understanding starts to grow between them, until Nell realizes one of them will have to do something neither has done since childhood. Trust blindly.

But Rafe is on a pathway to revenge. Has Nell put her trust in the wrong man?