Showing results by author "Mary Christian Payne"

The White Feather is a poignant, romantic, and sometimes tragic novel set in both the battlefields of World War I France, and in a small, Cotswold village named Claybourne-on-Coln. This engaging novel presents the reader with unforgettable characters, courageous and cowardly, generous and self-serving.

Sloan Thornton is the heir to Highcroft Hall, the family seat of the Earl of Wessex, in the quaint village of Thornton-on-Sea, on the southeast coast of England. He has always dreamed of finding his soul-mate. However, in a moment of weakness, just before he leaves to fight in World War II as an RAF pilot, he proposes to his childhood sweetheart, Anne Whitfield. There is no question how deep his devotion is to her, and how naturally they bring out the best in each other.

Lily Barton Claybourne has a deep-seated need to be the best she can be in life. Her compassion and ability to forgive are strong components of her personality. But the aristocracy isn't interested in her dreams of a better society.

Spanning the years 1925-1945, Lily Claybourne, the Countess of Gloucester, forges her path in the post-World War I era. Despite difficulties with her marriage, her dreams remain intact, and she strives to make them a reality. She enters into a tumultuous time in her life, filled with great achievement and heartbreaking loss. Through it all, Lily continues to grow and refuses to let misfortune block her way. This is the engaging finale to the much-loved trilogy, which began in 1914, at the beginning of the Great War.

Despite being one of the loveliest women in her home village, Lady Anne Whitfield just can't seem to find true love. After her engagement to the handsome and charismatic Sloan Thornton comes to an end, Anne suffers a deep depression. Emerging from self-imposed exile, she decides to move to London and begins a career in the retail world. She enters into a relationship with a great footballer, Avery Banister, which does not end happily.

In this last book of the Thornton Trilogy, Chloe Thornton overhears a shocking secret that changes her life. Elise Thornton has tried for 22 years to keep the truth from her daughter about how she was conceived when her mother was raped by three Nazi soldiers on the day of the Battle of Dunkirk in 1940. But finally the truth comes out, and there are no more secrets to hide.