In a world governed by the unyielding weight of stone and law, she is a woman caught between two lives.
Born into a modest Jewish settlement on the fringes of the powerful Greco-Roman world, her life is mapped out for her until Othniel bar-Ismael, a wealthy merchant from Jerusalem, claims her as his prize. But the transition from a village girl to a fine lady is a gilded cage. Beneath the silks and the grandeur of Jerusalem, she finds only a hollow existence—until she meets a man who sees her not as a merchant’s possession, but as a soul.
One choice, born of a desperate need to be seen, changes everything.
Finding herself at the center of a storm of public shame and ancient law, she must face the consequences of her heart's transgression. But when a moment of unprecedented mercy interrupts her execution, she is forced to navigate the fragmented memories of her past to build a future she never thought possible.
A lyrical, deeply moving exploration of the choices that define us and the grace that allows us to begin again.
Meredith Allard is an award-winning author known for the bestselling Loving Husband Trilogy and the Victorian novel When It Rained at Hembry Castle, which IndieReader named a Best Historical Novel. Her prequel, Down Salem Way, earned the B.R.A.G. Medallion and was a semi-finalist for the Chaucer Award in Early Historical Fiction.
A recognized authority on the craft, Meredith is the author of Painting the Past: A Guide for Writing Historical Fiction, a #1 Amazon New Release in Authorship and Creativity Self-Help. For over twenty years, she has mentored writers of all ages, helping them find their voices while honing her own signature blend of meticulous research and haunting prose.
When she isn't unearthing the secrets of the past, she can be found in the hills of Southern Nevada with her cats and a cup of coffee.