Set in Cornwall in the 1800s, the Cornish Captive is the 6th book in a series. I haven’t read any of the previous books in the series, but this did not interfere with me loving this book. The book is about Madeleine, a woman who’s husband was murdered, and has been wrongfully declared insane and held captive for 14 years in an asylum. After she manages to escape she has to adjust to life outside prison, unsure who she can trust. Madeleine finds herself overwhelmed by the physical sensations of open skies and fresh air after so long in darkness and confinement. ‘To be free… The air was so fresh it almost hurt to breathe, yet I gulped lungfuls of the salty air, laughing, crying, blinded by the brilliance of the sun’s reflection.’ She also bears the physical and emotional scars of her ill treatment.
The backdrop is the French Revolution and so we meet our romantic interest. The book is divided into three parts – Liberté, Équalité and Fraternité. As a member of an aristocratic French family, Madeleine’s sympathies are Royalist but Pierre de la Croix, the French captain she meets is a Republican and a prisoner of the British, and someone who should be a sworn enemy. However, Madeleine is drawn to him, especially when he always seems to be there whenever her safety is threatened.
Madeleine has to decide whether to trust Pierre or not.
The backdrop is the French Revolution and so we meet our romantic interest. The book is divided into three parts – Liberté, Équalité and Fraternité. As a member of an aristocratic French family, Madeleine’s sympathies are Royalist but Pierre de la Croix, the French captain she meets is a Republican and a prisoner of the British, and someone who should be a sworn enemy. However, Madeleine is drawn to him, especially when he always seems to be there whenever her safety is threatened.
Madeleine has to decide whether to trust Pierre or not.