The White Swan Affair

Mady (Something So Right) explores a dark side of history in this sympathetic romance set in 1810 London. Robert Aspinall is caught in a police raid on the White Swan, an infamous public house, and arrested for sodomy. As Robert languishes in the inhumane conditions of Newgate prison, awaiting trial and a probable sentence of hanging, his sister, Hester, tries unsuccessfully to gather money for his defense, only to be tossed into the street after her brother’s business is raided and ruined. Her sole remaining friend is their handsome landlord, Thomas Ramsay, who persuades her to stay at his home even though living with him would ruin her reputation. As Thomas and Hester work to free her brother, their hidden passion for each other can no longer be denied, despite Thomas’s roaming past and Hester’s tragic romantic history. Mady balances grim facts with sizzling romance in this well-researched tale. (May)