The Wolf and the Dove

1974 Avon Books BCE 439 pages. From the best-selling author of Ashes in the Wind and A Rose in Winter comes a tumultuous story set in Saxony in 1066, as the Norman invaders conquer the land in sweeping hordes. When the Normans murder her father, plunder his estate, and humiliate her proud mother, Aislinn of Darkenwald vows revenge. But when she glares with hatred into the cold gray eyes of Wulfgar--the Iron Wolf of Normandy--the leader who now claims her as his slave, she knows that her sharp tongue and quick wit are no match for his towering strength. Although she must yield her body, she is determined never to yield her heart, for it is rumored that he despises women and uses them only for his pleasure. Then why does he buy her gifts when it is not his way? Why does he battle for her favor and pardon her people? Could it be that this proud, feared knight of Normandy thinks of her as much more than his slave? For once, Aislinn felt weakened--not from fear, but from desire. As her mother plots their escape, her heart is torn between loyalty to her people and her passions for the knight whose tenderness in the privacy of their bedchamber makes her body ache with pleasure. But can her consuming passion wipe out the memory of her father's death, her mother's shame, and her own brutal violation at the hands of Wulfgar's conquering forces? Even if she dares to hope for a future together with the knight she has come to love, how can she be sure that the child she carries is his?