The Spaniard's Daughter

Juliana Rodriguez is being raised to be a lady by her legal guardians Richard and Catherine Worledge, but both her name and the strawberry birthmark Catherine insists she keeps covered reveal the truth about her parentage. Juliana has heard the gossip about her past: that the mark was put there by the devil, that she is a witch and the bastard child of a notorious brigand who was hanged for his crimes. On the eve of her 15th birthday, Juliana discovers a tiny baby in the scullery, a illegitimate child like herself who is destined for the haphazard care of a supposed wet-nurse who—for an additional fee—will ensure the child’s death. When she learns that Catherine is the go-between and using her part in this illicit business as a way of ingratiating herself further into society, Juliana decides to take the first step on a dangerous path: she steals her first child.