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Every man in England wanted her...She was called "the Crimson Lady". But Fiona Byrne wants no part of the notorious life she was compelled to lead, adopting instead the disguise of a simple seamstress. Then she is discovered by Braedan de Cantor, a desperate and daring stranger who threatens to expose her. Never has there been one so dangerous to the peaceful life she'd fought to achieve. But the greatest peril of all lies deep in her heart. One man would have her...Robbed of his good name and fortune, and cast among England's criminals, he sought the legendary lady outlaw to save his sister. But the many tales of her extraordinary beauty and cunning did not do the Crimson Lady justice, and Braedan soon finds himself falling under her enchantment , even as he forces Fiona to re-enter the dark world she dreads. And though danger beyond reasoning awaits them, he wil let no harm befall the passionate, incomparable woman who now so completely captivates his heart and his soul... and offers them both a future more magnificent than either dared to imagine.
 THE CRIMSON LADY
Avon Books
Prequel to the Templar Knights trilogy
ISBN: 0060097701
June 2003
- Winner of the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Medieval of 2003
 
This story was inspired by a television documentary I happened to see concerning young women who had been sold into prostitution in Third World countries. As I watched, disturbed and sickened at the information unfolding before me, a character suddenly bloomed, full-blown, in my imagination – a young woman who was like the girls in the documentary in that she too had been sold into prostitution, but who was not physically similar to them in that she was fair-skinned and auburn-haired; a woman who in my mind’s eye was clearly from the medieval period, with a beautiful face and sad, soulful eyes.
It was a strange experience, I will confess, for in that moment I felt a sudden and full understanding of this character resonate through me – I saw her as a whole person, with hopes, dreams, burdens and disappointments. It is one of the few times I can recall in my writing life when it seemed like an idea for a character took hold of me and refused to let go. On a logical level I tried to talk myself out of pursuing a story with this kind of heroine at its center; I’m well aware that writing a romance about a woman who has been tainted by prostitution is at best very risky in today’s market. But Fiona would not be put off. I tried to research my way out of it, thinking that surely the medieval period, with its heavy reliance on religion and righteous behavior as a part of everyday life, would be a nearly impossible setting from which to stage this story that was demanding my attention – only to discover that prostitution was in fact tolerated and even legalized in certain set areas of every major city and town in England, during the Middle Ages. It seemed that my creative fate was sealed in regards to this story idea, and so I began to work on fleshing out Fiona’s tale in earnest. Once the decision had been made to go forward with the story, my research led me to fascinating anecdotes and facts about the seedy underworld of medieval London and its environs – about its criminals, prostitutes, and bands of thieves. I also stumbled upon a lesser-known poem, written around the time that the legend of Robin of Locksley (a.k.a. Robin Hood) began to gain popularity; it was called “The Tale of Gamelyn” – and I used its plot as the basis for the ending of THE CRIMSON LADY, with a group of forest-dwelling thieves uniting under the leadership of a noble and honest man, to wreak justice on a powerful but corrupt lord. Exciting stuff! Once I added my own elements and developed the scene to suit my plot and characters, I had an ending that provided my hero and heroine with the ability to achieve the justice and love they so richly deserved. The working title for the book was THE CRIMSON LADY. It just seemed to fit the story, and I was thrilled when the editors at Avon agreed. So there was a “Happy Ending” all around!
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