Misfortune is a Rolling Tide

"Previously published as 'Convincing Charlotte' by Julie Matern."

An unforgettable novel that sweeps the reader from the depths of the English countryside to the beauties of Florence, Italy. and on to the primitive shores of the emerging colony of Australia.

At the turn of the nineteenth century, the expectations of the young are often dependent on the whims of the adults who guide them. Such is the sad case of Charlotte Abernathy and Henry Westbrook. Throw in an eccentric, wealthy maiden aunt whose life is stuck in the era of the French Revolution, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Forces conspire against the couple and Charlotte is forced into an arranged marriage with an absent-minded intellectual. In desperation, Henry recklessly signs up for a dangerous military mission to Australia where he barely escapes with his life.

Circumstances come full circle and the treachery behind their misfortunes is exposed. But it is all too late as Charlotte’s marriage forever divides them.

This is a tale of lost expectations, heartbreak and redemption whose enduring characters will stay with the reader long after the book is finished.