In Love’s Hands

BY BERTHA M. CLAY

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1—A Bitter Atonement. 2—Dora Thorne. 3—A Golden Heart. 4—Lord Lisle’s Daughter. 5—The Mystery of Colde Fell; or, “Not Proven.” 6—Diana’s Discipline; or, Sunshine and Roses. 7—A Dark Marriage Morn. 8—Hilda’s Lover; or, The False Vow; or, Lady Hutton’s Ward. 9—Her Mother’s Sin; or, A Bright Wedding Day. 10—One Against Many. 11—For Another’s Sin; or, A Struggle for Love. 12—At War With Herself. 13—Evelyn’s Folly. 14—A Haunted Life. 15—Lady Damer’s Secret. 16—His Wife’s Judgment. 17—Lady Castlemaine’s Divorce; or, Put Asunder. 19—Two Fair Women; or, Which Loved Him Best? 21—Wife in Name Only. 22—The Sin of a Lifetime. 23—The World Between Them. 24—Prince Charlie’s Daughter. 25—A Thorn in Her Heart. 26—A Struggle for a Ring. 27—The Shadow of a Sin. 28—A Rose in Thorns. 29—A Woman’s Love Story. 30—The Romance of a Black Veil. 31—Redeemed by Love; or, Love’s Conflict; or, Love Works Wonders. 32—Lord Lynne’s Choice. 33—Set in Diamonds. 34—The Romance of a Young Girl; or, The Heiress of Hill-drop.

35—A Woman’s War. 36—On Her Wedding Morn, and Her Only Sin. 37—Weaker Than a Woman. 38—Love’s Warfare. 40—A Nameless Sin. 41—A Mad Love. 42—Hilary’s Folly; or, Her Marriage Vow. 43—Madolin’s Lover. 44—The Belle of Lynn; or, The Miller’s Daughter. 45—Lover and Husband. 46—Beauty’s Marriage, and Between Two Sins. 47—The Duke’s Secret. 48—Her Second Love. 49—Addie’s Husband, and Arnold’s Promise. 50—A True Magdalen; or, One False Step. 51—For a Woman’s Honor. 52—Claribel’s Love Story; or, Love’s Hidden Depths. 53—A Fiery Ordeal. 54—The Gipsy’s Daughter. 55—Golden Gates. 56—The Squire’s Darling, and Walter’s Wooing. 57—Violet Lisle. 58—Griselda. 59—One False Step. 60—A Heart’s Idol. 61—The Earl’s Error, and Letty Leigh. 63—Another Woman’s Husband. 64—Wedded and Parted, and Fair But False. 65—His Perfect Trust. 66—Gladys Greye. 67—In Love’s Crucible. 68—’Twixt Love and Hate. 69—Fair But Faithless. 70—A Heart’s Bitterness. 71—Marjorie Deane. 72—Between Two Hearts.

73—Her Martyrdom. 74—Thorns and Orange Blossoms. 75—A Bitter Bondage. 76—A Guiding Star. 77—A Fair Mystery. 78—Another Man’s Wife. 79—An Ideal Love. 80—The Earl’s Atonement. 81—Between Two Loves. 82—A Dead Heart, and Love for a Day. 83—A Fatal Dower. 84—Lady Latimer’s Escape, and Other Stories. 85—A Woman’s Error. 86—Guelda. 87—Beyond Pardon. 88—If Love Be Love. 89—A Coquette’s Conquest. 90—In Cupid’s Net, and So Near and Yet So Far. 91—Under a Shadow. 92—At Any Cost, and A Modern Cinderella. 94—Margery Daw. 95—A Woman’s Temptation. 96—The Actor’s Ward. 97—Repented at Leisure. 98—James Gordon’s Wife. 99—For Life and Love, and More Bitter Than Death. 100—In Shallow Waters. 101—A Broken Wedding Ring. 102—Dream Faces. 103—Two Kisses, and The Fatal Lilies. 105—A Hidden Terror. 106—Wedded Hands. 107—From Out the Gloom. 108—Her First Love. 109—A Bitter Reckoning. 110—Thrown on the World. 111—Irene’s Vow. 112—His Wedded Wife. 113—Lord Elesmere’s Wife. 114—A Woman’s Vengeance.

115—A Queen Amongst Women and An Unnatural Bondage. 116—The Queen of the County. 117—A Struggle for the Right. 118—The Paths of Love. 119—Blossom and Fruit. 120—The Story of an Error. 121—The White Witch. 123—Lady Muriel’s Secret. 124—The Hidden Sin. 125—For a Dream’s Sake. 126—The Gambler’s Wife. 127—A Great Mistake. 128—Society’s Verdict. 129—Lady Gwendoline’s Dream. 130—The Rival Heiresses. 131—A Bride from the Sea, and Other Stories. 132—A Woman’s Trust. 133—A Dream of Love. 134—The Sins of the Father. 135—For Love of Her. 136—A Loving Maid. 137—A Heart of Gold. 138—The Price of a Bride. 139—Love in a Mask. 140—A Woman’s Witchery. 141—The Burden of a Secret. 142—One Woman’s Sin. 143—How Will It End? 144—The Hand Without a Wedding Ring. 145—A Sinful Secret. 146—Lady Marchmont’s Widowhood. 147—The Broken Trust. 148—Lady Ethel’s Whim. 149—A Wife’s Peril. 150—The Tragedy of Lime Hall. 151—Lady Ona’s Sin. 152—A Bitter Courtship. 153—A Tragedy of Love and Hate. 154—A Stolen Heart.

155—Every Inch a Queen. 156—A Maid’s Misery. 157—Love’s Redemption. 158—The Sunshine of His Life. 159—The Lost Lady of Haddon. 160—The Love of Lady Aurelia. 161—His Great Temptation. 162—An Evil Heart. 163—Gladys’ Wedding Day. 164—Lost for Love. 165—On With the New Love. 168—A Fateful Passion. 169—A Captive Heart. 170—A Deceptive Lover. 171—An Untold Passion. 172—A Purchased Love. 173—The Queen of His Soul. 174—A Pilgrim of Love. 175—The Girl of His Heart. 176—A Wife’s Devotion. 177—The Price of Love. 178—When Love and Hate Conflict. 180—A Misguided Love. 181—The Chains of Jealousy. 182—A Loveless Engagement. 183—A Heart’s Worship. 184—A Queen Triumphant. 185—Between Love and Ambition. 186—True Love’s Reward. 187—A Poisoned Heart. 188—What It Cost Her. 189—Paying the Penalty. 190—The Old Love or the New? 191—Her Honored Name. 192—A Coquette’s Victim. 193—An Ocean of Love. 194—Sweeter Than Life. 195—For Her Heart’s Sake. 196—Her Beautiful Foe. 197—A Soul Ensnared. 198—A Heart Forlorn.

199—Strong in Her Love. 200—Fair as a Lily. 205—Her Bitter Sorrow. 210—Hester’s Husband. 215—An Artful Plotter. 228—A Vixen’s Love. 232—The Dawn of Love. 236—Love’s Coronet. 237—The Unbroken Vow. 238—Her Heart’s Hero. 239—An Exacting Love. 240—A Wild Rose. 241—In Defiance of Fate. 242—For Lack of Gold. 244—Two True Hearts. 245—Baffled by Fate. 246—Two Men and a Maid. 247—A Cruel Revenge. 248—The Flower of Love. 249—Mistress of Her Fate. 250—The Wooing of a Maid. 251—A Blighted Blossom. 252—Loved Forevermore. 253—For Old Love’s Sake. 254—Love’s Debt. 255—A Happy Conquest. 256—Tender and True. 257—The Love He Spurned. 258—Withered Flowers. 259—When Woman Wills. 260—Love’s Twilight. 261—True to His First Love. 262—Suffered in Silence. 263—A Modest Passion. 264—Beyond All Dreams. 265—Loved and Lost. 266—The Bride of the Manor. 267—Love, the Avenger. 268—Wedded at Dawn. 269—A Shattered Romance. 270—With Love at the Helm. 271—Humbled Pride. 272—Love Finds a Way. 273—An Ardent Wooing.

274—Love Grown Cold. 275—Love Hath Wings. 276—When Hot Tears Flow. 277—The Wages of Deceit. 278—Love and the World. 279—Love’s Sweet Hour. 280—Faithful and True. 281—Sunshine and Shadow. 282—For Love or Wealth? 283—A Crown of Faith. 284—The Harvest of Sin. 285—A Secret Sorrow. 286—In Quest of Love. 287—Beyond Atonement. 288—A Girl’s Awakening. 289—The Hero of Her Dreams. 290—Love’s Burden. 291—Only a Flirt. 292—When Love is Kind. 293—An Elusive Lover. 294—The Hour of Temptation. 295—Where Love Leads. 296—Her Struggle With Love. 297—In Spite of Fate. 298—Can This Be Love? 299—The Love of His Youth. 300—Enchained by Passion. 301—The New Love or the Old? 302—At Her Heart’s Command. 303—Cast Upon His Care. 304—All Else Forgot. 305—Sinner or Victim? 307—Answered in Jest. 308—Her Heart’s Problem. 309—Rich in His Love. 310—For Better, For Worse. 311—Love’s Caprice. 312—When Hearts Are Young. 314—In the Golden City. 315—A Love Victorious. 316—Her Heart’s Delight. 317—The Heart of His Heart.

318—Even This Sacrifice. 319—Love’s Crown Jewel. 320—Suffered in Vain. 321—In Love’s Bondage. 322—Lady Viola’s Secret. 323—Adrift on Love’s Tide. 324—The Quest of His Heart. 325—Under Cupid’s Seal. 326—Earlescourt’s Love. 327—Dearer Than Life. 328—Toward Love’s Goal. 329—Her Heart’s Surrender. 330—Tempted to Forget. 331—The Love That Blinds. 332—A Daughter of Misfortune. 333—When False Tongues Speak. 334—A Tempting Offer. 335—With Love’s Strong Bonds. 336—That Plain Little Girl. 337—And This is Love! 338—The Secret of Estcourt. 339—For His Love’s Sake. 340—Outside Love’s Door. 341—At Love’s Fountain. 342—A Lucky Girl. 343—A Dream Come True. 344—By Love’s Order. 345—Fettered for Life. 346—Beyond the Shadow. 347—The Love That Won. 348—Fair to Look Upon. 349—A Daughter of Eve. 350—When Cupid Frowns. 351—The Wiles of Love. 352—What the World Said. 353—Mabel and May. 354—Her Love and His. 355—A Captive Fairy. 356—Her Sacred Trust. 357—A Child of Caprice. 358—He Dared to Love.

359—While the World Scoffed. 360—On Love’s Highway. 361—One of Love’s Slaves. 362—The Lure of the Flame. 363—A Love in the Balance. 364—A Woman of Whims. 365—In a Siren’s Web. 366—The Tie That Binds. 367—Love’s Harsh Mandate. 368—Love’s Carnival. 369—With Heart and Voice. 370—In Love’s Hands. 371—Hearts of Oak. 372—A Garland of Love. 373—Among Love’s Briers. 374—Love Never Fails. 375—The Other Man’s Choice. 376—A Lady of Quality. 377—On Love’s Demand. 378—A Fugitive from Love. 379—His Sweetheart’s Promise. 380—The Schoolgirl Bride. 381—Her One Ambition. 382—Love for Love. 383—His Fault or Hers? 384—New Loves for Old. 385—Her Proudest Possession. 386—Cupid Always Wins. 387—Love is Life Indeed. 388—When Scorn Greets Love. 389—Love’s Potent Charm. 390—By Love Alone. 391—When Love Conspires. 392—No Thought of Harm. 393—Cupid’s Prank. 394—A Sad Awakening. 395—What Could She Do? 396—Sharing His Burden. 397—Steadfast in Her Love. 398—A Love Despised. 399—One Life, One Love.

400—When Hope is Lost. 401—A Heart Unclaimed. 402—His Dearest Wish. 403—Her Cup of Sorrow. 404—When Love is Curbed. 405—A Pitiful Mistake. 406—A Love Profound. 407—A Bitter Sacrifice. 408—What Love is Worth. 409—When Life’s Roses Bloom. 410—Her Only Choice. 411—Forged on Love’s Anvil. 412—She Hated Him! 413—When Love’s Charm is Broken. 414—Led by Destiny. 415—When Others Sneered. 416—Golden Fetters. 417—The Love That Prospered. 418—The Song of the Siren. 419—Love’s Gentle Whisper. 420—The Girl Who Won. 421—The Love That Was Stifled. 422—The Love of a Lifetime. 423—Her One Mistake. 424—At War With Fate. 425—When Love Lures. 426—’Twixt Wealth and Want. 427—Love’s Pleasant Dreams. 428—Sir John’s Heiress. 429—A Terrible Mistake. 430—The Eyes of Jealousy. 431—The Romance of a Business Girl. 432—Was He the Man? 433—The Master of Tredcroft. 434—The Deverell Heritage. 435—The Swoop of the Vulture. 436—A Phantom of the Past. 437—A Fleet of Dreams. 438—Love and Reason. Published during January, 1914.

439—Held in Bondage. 440—As the Ivy Loves the Oak. Published during February, 1914. 441—Love Against Hate. 442—His Cross of Honor. Published during March, 1914. 443—Love Everlasting. 444—Let the Heart Decide. Published during April, 1914. 445—Love Beyond Price. 446—An Uncounted Cost. Published during May, 1914. 447—Behind Love’s Veil. 448—Fate and the Girl. Published during June, 1914. 449—Love Rules the World. 450—Her Sad Blessing. Published during July, 1914. 451—Love’s Charity.

In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the books listed above will be issued, during the respective months, in New York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers, at a distance, promptly, on account of delays in transportation.

IN LOVE’S HANDS;

OR,

FOR HER HEART’S SAKE

BY BERTHA M. CLAY

The only complete list of whose work, both copyrighted and not, is contained in the Bertha Clay Library, published by Street & Smith.

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[Pg 5]

CHAPTER I.

IN DEADLY PERIL.

Who that knows Northumberland has not roamed delightedly beside the lovely Coquet, that tricksome little river which sometimes murmurs softly along its rocky bed, and anon—swollen and turbid—fiercely dashes against its steep banks, rushing on toward the ocean with a force and rapidity that carries everything before it.

Those who have visited this capricious stream will remember Heriton Priory, one of the fairest and finest estates through which it wanders. Surrounded on three sides by hills which protect it from the keen winds, then sloping gently toward the river, the grounds are worthy the house, which is a fine specimen of the Tudor style of architecture. The ruins of the first priory—formerly the residence of a community of monks—still exist; and, owing to the care of their owners, are almost in as good condition as when the demesne was bestowed upon a certain Ralph de Heriton by Henry VIII.

The priory had been in the same family ever since. Succeeding generations had added to and improved the estate, until at the commencement of the present reign it fell into the hands of Mr. Richard Heriton, the last of the male branch. He, too, pulled down, and rebuilt, and[Pg 6] altered, and this at a rate which made some of his more prudent neighbors shrug their shoulders as they counted the cost.

That the alterations were made with taste no one could deny, and at the time our story opens—that sweet, fragrant season when spring insensibly glides into summer—the priory gardens were in one flush of glowing beauty. It was literally a fairy scene, concealed from prying eyes by the towering heights which guarded and sheltered its loveliness.

A young man whom Mr. Heriton had discovered pedestrianizing in the neighborhood, and on learning that they had mutual friends in London, had hospitably brought home with him, lay at full length on the greensward beneath a drooping ash tree. Frank Dormer had fixed himself in the library to have a quiet morning’s reading; but the twitter of the birds, the sunlight, and the sweet breath of the roses, drew him forth to spend an hour of half-sad, half-pleasant idleness. He had rarely looked on so fair a scene before. He might never behold it again, for he was daily expecting orders to sail for India, where he had received an appointment in the Civil Service. An orphan from an early age—looked coldly upon by his few relatives, and bandied from school to private tutor, from private tutor to college—he had never known the real meaning of the word home until these few happy weeks he had spent at the priory.

As he lay there listening to the ripple of the river, and recalling the pleasant events of each succeeding day—the[Pg 7] rides with Mr. Heriton to every spot within reach which was worthy a visit; the calls upon the warm-hearted, free-handed Northumbrian landowners with whom his host was acquainted; the quieter drives with Mrs. Heriton, a confirmed invalid; and the walks and gay romps with Florence, the only daughter of the house—he sighed, and shaded his eyes with his hand.

The trailing branches of the tree were gently parted, an arch face peeped from between them, and the next moment the young man’s head and shoulders were covered with a shower of flower petals.

Shaking his curly head with something of the air of a good-tempered Newfoundland dog, he started up—his melancholy thoughts all put to flight—and looked around. But the owner of the pretty, saucy face had retreated, and was nowhere to be seen, though a stifled laugh proclaimed her vicinity.

“You may as well show yourself, Miss Mischief,” exclaimed Frank, “unless, indeed, you are on the wing for a broom to sweep up this mess before Johnson sees it. He had the lawn swept not two hours ago. There’ll be a complaint laid before Mr. Heriton of Miss Florence’s untidy ways. I hope you’ll be punished with half a dozen sums in practice and a long German exercise.”

Florence emerged from her hiding place to answer him. She was a slim, delicate girl of fifteen, with eyes of so deep a blue that they were almost black, and long, wavy hair of golden brown that was carelessly tied at the back of her head with a ribbon of the same color. Although[Pg 8] under the control of a strict governess for several hours every day, in order that she might become the accomplished young lady Mr. Heriton’s heiress ought to be, her mother’s thoughtful tenderness secured her perfect freedom for as many more. Thus Florence, brought up in the healthful seclusion of the priory—never permitted to exhibit her acquirements and receive the ill-judging admiration of visitors—was still a happy, artless child, with only enough of the woman to cherish a secret thought that if she grew up and ever consented to leave dear, suffering mamma and marry, it must be for just such a man as Frank Dormer.

Secure in her extreme youth and the young man’s speedy departure, no limits had been set upon their intercourse by either of her parents. They had rambled together, sung together, and read from the same books; the pretty Florence coming to Frank with all her difficulties, and making him the confidant of all her girlish secrets; while he—thrown for the first time into feminine society—petted and protected her with a growing tenderness which no one saw or suspected except Florence’s mother.

“I wouldn’t add story-telling to all my other evil propensities if I were you,” said the girl demurely, as she came a little nearer, yet stood ready to spring away if Frank attempted to approach her. “It was not I who threw those leaves on the lawn, Mr. Dormer. I wouldn’t vex poor old Johnson for the world, especially just now that I want some of his best verbenas for my garden. It was you who made the litter by shaking them off in all[Pg 9] directions. I should advise you to pick them up directly, sir.”

“Come and help me then, mademoiselle.”

“No, indeed, monsieur! That would be to confess myself guilty. I am going for a walk. Oh, Mr. Dormer, I saw such a lovely fern on one of the heights that overhang the river! It’s about a mile higher up, and I mean to fetch it. You’ll come, won’t you?”