After two years, absent from Milton and John Thornton, Margaret Hale finds herself being coerced into a pending marriage by a decorated military captain for the inheritance she will receive in the near future. At stake is the life of her brother, Fredrick Hale who has been branded a mutineer and wanted by the Navy to be hung as an enemy of the crown. Hiding the consistent physical abuse and fear from her family, an attempted sexual assault finds Margaret Hale believing she will meet death soon after the wedding. Pushed to her ultimate limit, she flees to the only man with whom she feels safe, John Thornton. In her flight, she knows she is tipping the balance against her brother in retribution and her own life. Has she now thrown the respected mill owner's life into the line of fire? This is a North and South Fantasy story. If you are a Gaskell purist, this book is not for you. It's a new love story with John and Margaret.