Leaving Lennhurst Series by Julia David

In his calculations, handsome Reed Chapman certainly didn’t factor an unstable young woman from Lennhurst Asylum inhabiting his beloved land. In 1867, bitter from the civil war, lawyer Reed Chapman is easily distracted, yet determined to have his land back. How did his simple plan to restore his family’s inheritance leave him driving away from Lennhurst Asylum, elbow to elbow with a beautiful patient in his charge? An unstable, madcap young woman who believes she is the heir to his land... moreIn his calculations, handsome Reed Chapman certainly didn’t factor an unstable young woman from Lennhurst Asylum inhabiting his beloved land. In 1867, bitter from the civil war, lawyer Reed Chapman is easily distracted, yet determined to have his land back. How did his simple plan to restore his family’s inheritance leave him driving away from Lennhurst Asylum, elbow to elbow with a beautiful patient in his charge? An unstable, madcap young woman who believes she is the heir to his land. Patience Stevens spins with the adventure of leaving Lennhurst to find her childhood trees, lake and land. Confident to face the dark unknowns that took place there, she dreams of gardens and woodland homes for all her winged friends. Fortifying herself to face the horrors one by one, the revelations of her past collides with a new struggle in the form of handsome Reed Chapman. He seems overly concerned with her wellbeing and suddenly her heart is taken with his attention. Can a gullible young woman from an insane asylum trust the ways of the heart? Is his declaration for her hand in marriage hasty or genuine? Her simple list of dreams seems so close she can almost touch them. Is Reed Chapman to be her tender, passionate husband or her adversary? Can her child-like faith and hope survive this haunted wilderness without him? less

From a desperate yet useful childhood at the Lennhurst Asylum and School for Disabled Children, Anna is married off to a plantation baron, a man old enough to be her father. When he collapses on the frozen pond and drowns, could it be the freedom she’s never known? With barely a day of peace as a young widow, her cold-hearted step sons throw her from their father’s home. William Gibbs thinks he knows desperation... moreFrom a desperate yet useful childhood at the Lennhurst Asylum and School for Disabled Children, Anna is married off to a plantation baron, a man old enough to be her father. When he collapses on the frozen pond and drowns, could it be the freedom she’s never known? With barely a day of peace as a young widow, her cold-hearted step sons throw her from their father’s home. William Gibbs thinks he knows desperation. With the death of their mother, he is left to raise his four younger siblings in their one-room cabin. One deemed a lunatic, who runs from home, he can’t find a moment to keep her safe and work their small tobacco farm. Without the crop, they’ll all be destitute. On a dark rainy night searching for his missing sister, Will turns to the local reverend for help. Their simple solution is to marry off the woman who has been sheltering in their church. A woman who reports she's worked with the insane. "A wife will cost you nothing.” The reverend’s wife points out. Will agrees to take Anna as his wife. Unbeknownst to Will, she wasn’t a paid nurse, but a previous patient at Lennhurst Asylum. Has his desperation and crowded cabin just gotten worse? Just as the new family finds care and acceptance for one another, Anna is arrested for the murder of her first husband. Moved with his ever growing feelings for his new wife, Will vows to protect her from the ludicrous charges. But what about the baby nursing at her breast? It's not Anna's first husbands or Will's baby. And she did not give birth. What kind of hoax is it? Should her past and the innocent babe in her arms doom her to life behind bars? Can Will protect her in time? less