The Heirs of Briarwood

Lady Rhianna is a small child sleeping at the foot of her beloved brother’s bed when a ghostly figure enters the room and brutally murders the young boy. Frightened and confused by the horrific ordeal, Rhianna returns to her own chamber locking away the memory of what she witnessed, along with her ability to speak.
Years pass as Lionel, the Earl of Warenne, despairs over the lack of an heir for the great castle of Briarwood. When hope for a son of his own is lost he arranges a marriage for his daughter Rhianna to a young knight, Tristan de Montforte the son of his vassal.
Married by proxy, Tristan is unaware that he is now the heir to a title and riches beyond his dreams and continues with his plans to marry another. He is humiliated when informed that his betrothed betrayed him for a wealthy new suitor while his father bound him to Rhianna. Bitter over one woman’s betrayal and the responsibility of an unwanted child bride he embarks on crusade vowing to never again love a woman.
Rhianna dreams of her young knight as she learns the duties of chatelaine and begins the transformation from child to woman. She is devastated when she learns that Tristan never accepted the marriage and seeks a way to keep Briarwood for the sake of her father.
Tristan returns after eight years to find that his child bride is no longer a child but a beautiful, mysterious woman that bewitches him even as he looks to annul the marriage. The two fight the fierce attraction that draws them together even as they plan to part ways. As they at last embrace their love and plan for the future, a nightmare from Rhianna’s past returns with the intention of never allowing them to claim their legacy as the heirs to Briarwood.