The Ordeal Of Elspeth (Of Love and Arrangement #2)

Elspeth Brinkhurst is the daughter of one of the most notorious criminals in 1840's England, but he is a man with money and power, and she is as all people in his life are, a means to an end. She is beleaguered by her father, his mistress, and her father's friends, whose intent for Elspeth is less than welcome.
When Elspeth makes a grave error in a bid to take charge her own life, the consequences ripple out, and Elspeth finds herself in an untenable situation. Her actions lead her to be outcast and just another of her father's pawns.

When Elspeth meets the giant Henry Whiston, her life changes, and he appears to be the way out of her father's machinations and that of his friend, the terrifying Captain Grifton. Making that choice, and defying her father incurs not only his wrath, but also of her father's mistress, a woman as cruel as her father.
Her struggle leads to love, disappointment, a terrible series of events, and the path to hope and family.

This the second in a series of standalone novels charting the lives of strong and determined men and women, and though each book is its own story, they are best read in order.