Prickly Hawthorn Village Series by Karen Dean Benson

Early 1800s IrelandOrphaned as an infant and left on convent steps seventeen years earlier, Mairéad lives a cloistered life. She has been taught to illuminate manuscripts as a way to earn money for the convent. When she is hired to illuminate a manuscript for the lord of the local manor, he expects her to take up residence in Rockmore Hall for the summer. She experiences life beyond the convent walls for the first time... moreEarly 1800s IrelandOrphaned as an infant and left on convent steps seventeen years earlier, Mairéad lives a cloistered life. She has been taught to illuminate manuscripts as a way to earn money for the convent. When she is hired to illuminate a manuscript for the lord of the local manor, he expects her to take up residence in Rockmore Hall for the summer. She experiences life beyond the convent walls for the first time. The powerful and unprecedented discovery of how families live overwhelms her. If she can unravel the mystery of who she is, where she came from, a bold new life may be in her future. less