New Orleans Legacy Author:Alexandra Ripley Set in antebellum Louisiana, this historical romance follows the fortunes of Mary McAlister, raised in a convent in Pennsylvania. — When Mary's father dies, leaving his fortune to his unscrupulous second wife, 16-year-old Mary sets out for New Orleans to find her real mother's family. The naive girl soon falls into the clutches of New Orleans' mo... more »st infamous madam. Mary escapes the brothel, virtue intact, but not before she is seen there by Valmont Saint-Brevin, a handsome Creole aristocrat. As Mary wanders the strange city, her path crosses that of her Aunt Celeste who, hoping to retain the inheritance left by Mary's mother, hides her identity from her niece.
Mary perseveres through poverty, drudgery, a sham marriage and subsequent rape, voodoo and a yellow fever epidemic, the mesmerizing Saint-Brevin toying with her heart all the while... -- Publishers Weekly« less