Forgiven: A New Zealand historical novel by Geoff Lawson

Richard embarks on a daring quest to win Rachel’s hand. Rachel is a socialite, while Richard is a lowly farm labourer, and they face a formidable obstacale in Rachel’s father who refuses his blessing. Richard knows that if he serves his Queen and country, then tradition decrees that Rachel’s father cannot refuse her hand in marrige, so he joins the valient New Zealand Mounted Rifles and volunteers to fight in the tumultous landscape of South Africa. War becomes a test of Richards strength and resilience. As he endures hunger and exhaustion he meets Lady Sarah, an English aristocrate, and in an unexpected turn of events he becomes her protector, where he is thrust into a world of stark cultural differences. But, when captivity binds them together their survival depends on a fragile alliance …