Lady of the House (Eden's Gate) (Volume 1)

When convent-reared Lily Perrault arrives in Charleston from New Orleans in 1828 to claim an inheritance left to her by the mother she never knew, nothing prepares her for the shocking discovery that Kate Perrault’s legacy is not the respectable boarding house she expects, but rather the grandest gaming palace east of the Mississippi River. Before she can refuse her shameful bequest and return to the sanctuary of the convent, she uncovers yet another shattering secret. For more than twenty years her mother had plied a profession barely tolerated by the citizens of Charleston in order to hide an activity far more taboo. Operating beneath the very foundation of Swan House is a hidden station of the infamous Underground Railroad. The only way to protect the secret of Swan House is to assume Kate’s dangerous masquerade. Lily trades homespun for silk and becomes the Lady of the House. Follow her tumultuous journey as she rises above the taint of her mother’s tawdry past, discovers her true identity, captures the heart of the city, and finds love in the arms of her harshest critic, Doctor Paul DuPre.