A Desperate Fortune - Softcover

For nearly 300 years, the cryptic journal of Mary Dundas has kept its secrets. Now, amateur code-breaker Sara Thomas travels to Paris to crack the cipher. Jacobite exile Mary Dundas is filled with longing – for freedom, for adventure, for the family she lost. When fate opens the door, Mary dares to set her foot on a path far more surprising and dangerous than she ever could have dreamed. As Mary's gripping tale of rebellion and betrayal is revealed to her, Sara faces events in her own life that require letting go of everything she thought she knew – about herself, about loyalty, and especially about love. Though divided by centuries, these two women are united in a quest to discover the limits of trust and the unlikely coincidences of fate.

Susanna Kearsley studied politics and international development at university, and has worked as a museum curator. Her first novel Mariana won the prestigious Catherine Cookson Literary Prize and launched her writing career. And Sophia’s Secret won the 2009 Romantic Novel of the Year Award. Susanna also writes classic-style thrillers under the name Emma Cole. She lives on the north shore of Lake Ontario, Canada.