Heather House: The Witch of Threadneedle Street

Wed against her will to an abusive Threadneedle Street tailor, Moll Thatcher sells silk scraps from her husband's shop floor to make ends meet. When the man quits working altogether, she turns to what she knows: peddling love potions as a Welsh Witch of the Heart. But walking the streets as a witch is dangerous, and when the Black Death arrives at London's door, Moll suddenly finds herself a widow, fleeing the plague with a half-dozen street children in tow.

Known as a man of few words, the formidable highland warrior Alexander Taran Mackenzie accepts a mission from the king to collect a debt of silver from England’s queen, but the king doesn't send him alone. In the party are two Scottish noblewomen, and Taran is given the veiled command to choose one as wife. As England's crafty queen dangles Taran on a string, he bides his time in Haddon Hall, his impatience with the mission and the noblewomen he must choose between only growing by the day.

One chilly morning, Taran escapes the castle walls for the peace of the stables and sees an intriguing, honey-haired lass strapping a pillow under her gown. The ruse is a good one. Who could turn away a woman with child? As he watches, she herds several small children to the castle gates to beg, but as she arrives, the castle’s lord unexpectedly appears. As the situation spirals out of control, Taran intervenes, intending to only feed them before sending them on their way.

But fate has other plans, and within minutes, Taran finds himself locked in Haddon Hall with a lover named Moll and a half-dozen children he'd just claimed as his own.