A Bitter Marriage Contract
said Helen, already picturing herself as the mother-in-law of one of the most powerful men in the country.
But Elizabeth never cared about status. What really mattered to her was love.
She was so radiant she didn’t even bother to find out the terms of the agreement that would seal her future.
She was completely unaware of the family’s debts, as her father and stepmother had hidden the truth from her and her half-brother, Edward, while trying to maintain a lifestyle they could no longer afford.
Lizzie’s mother had passed away when she was only seven years old.
Her father, devastated by the loss, sank into deep sadness, becoming apathetic and distant, almost absent from his daughter’s life.