The Fragrant Flower — Barbara Cartland

The mildness and beauty of Hong Kong were so welcome after the horrible English winters. As lovely and delicate as the flower she was named for, Azalea needed warmth and sunlight to survive.

Not that Azalea would ever be truly happy in her new home. Her aunt and uncle kept her in a humiliating state of domestic slavery. Her inferior position, they insisted, was more than justified by the unmentionable disgrace in her past.

Her vicious guardians had succeeded in breaking Azalea's spirit. But they couldn't prevent the determined young Lord Sheldon, who is destined for one of her twin cousins, from falling in love with her. Nor could they stop him from uncovering the shameful secret that clouded Azalea's happiness.

Captured, Azalea finds Chinese pirates less cruel than General Osmund, her sadistic guardian. Only after a daring escape from a nightmare prison can she share the wonder and perfection of Sheldon's love.