CHASE THE LIGHTNING
10/01 - time travel

On The Run ...
The stallion emerged from the swirling mist, sunlight dancing on its white
coat, glinting like liquid silver in its flowing mane and tail. It was a
spirit horse, Trey had been told, one that would always carry him away from
danger. And if ever he'd needed such an animal, now was the time. With a
bullet in his back and a posse on his trail, he wouldn't last long unless
the words of his Apache grandfather came true.

From The Law
Amanda couldn't believe her eyes when the beautiful white stallion appeared
in her corral with a wounded man on its back. Dark and ruggedly handsome,
the stranger fascinated her. He had about him an aura of danger and desire
that excited her as her law-abiding fiancé never could. But something
didn't add up: Trey seemed bewildered by the amenities of modern life; he
wanted nothing to do with the police; and he had a stack of 1863 bank notes
in his saddlebags. Then one soul stirring kiss made it all clear. - Trey 
might have held up a bank and stolen through time but when he took her love, 
it would be no robbery, but a gift of the heart.

LAKOTA LOVE SONG
Jan. 02 - Signet

A Daring Rescue 
When Kaylee Matthews finds a wounded Lakota warrior on her family's property, 
she knows she must help him - even though it means concealing him from her 
watchful stepfather. As she secretly tends to the stranger's injury, Kaylee 
feels a powerful attraction to this handsome, mysterious man - one that opens 
her eyes to an entirely new destiny...

A Forbidden Desire 
Alone and weakened in the land of his enemy, Blue Hawk is determined to 
return to his village. Every moment he stays with Kaylee, the risk of 
discovery grows - but so does his desire for his lovely rescuer. She is his 
only hope of getting back to his people alive, and when she offers to come 
with him, he can't refuse...

A Divided Land 
Kaylee and Blue Hawk's shared passion soon sparks into an all-consuming love. 
But in a land divided by hatred and fear, it will take all of their courage 
to protect the future they cherish. 

Unforgettable
September 2000

The last thing Shaye Montgomery needed was another man in her life. Especially a gambler who had been hanged a hundred years before she was born. But Alejandro Valverde wouldn't leave her alone. As she walked the deserted streets of a California ghost town, his image seemed to rise up out of the misty night. On the faded pages of a saloon girl's diary, his exploits came to life. And in her dreams, he was all too real - his hair long and black, his lips full and sensual, his dark, dark eyes filled with a predatory gleam.

Then, incredibly, she was drawn into his world, a world where badmen, showdowns and gambling halls had replaced the park rangers, TV shows and malls she knew. Now when she looked into his eyes, she saw a kindred soul, knew that what she needed most in the world was to share a love that was truly UNFORGETTABLE.

Apache Flame
Sept '99

As a child, Mitch Garrett was excluded frm respectable socity. His father was the town drunkard, his mother was an Apache, and his only friend was Alisha Faraday, the sweet, innocent daughter of the preacher.

But as adults, their secret affection turned into a powerful love that neither could deny. And when the forces of prejudice and anger drove Mitch from his hometown, n either forgot the joy and desire they'd once shared in each other's arms.

Now Mitch is back - to put to rest memories that have haunted him for years. What he finds instead is a love for Alisha that has never died - a love he is willing to fight anything and anyone to keep, even as the shocking secrets of their shared past threaten to tear them apart once again...

New York Times Bestseller, ROMANTIC TIMES said: Ms. Baker has written another captivating and emotional romance that captures the true magic of love and the Old West.

Spirit's Song
March '99

A Romantic Times Top Pick

Half-Indian bounty hunter Jesse Yellow Thunder is ready to put away his guns and return to his peaceful Cheyenne village when a $10,000 bounty falls into his lap.

Kaylynn Summers flees her abusive husband, only to be captured by Indians and made a slave. She feels safer as a slave than as a wife, until Jesse arrives at the village. He frightens her with his scarred face and cold hard eyes, yet there is somthing about him that attracts her.

Jesse knows Kaylynn is trouble the minute he sees her. The "little red fox" escapes him twice. He is determined to return her to her husband and collect his bounty until he learns about her husband's abuse. He then agrees to deliver her to her parents.

But Jesse really wants her for himself. He is a man of violence, while she is a New York debutante. He has no roots; she has a husband. There seems to be no future for them, until the strength of their love builds one.

ROMANTIC TIMES said: Madeline Baker consistently delivers winning, heart-wrenching, passionate romances and SPIRIT'S SONG is no exception. This is the story of the hunter and the hunted, of two lost souls brought together by destiny, forged forever by love.

Harriet Klausner said:
Marvelous Madeline Baker is as dependable in providing a great historical romance as any author on the scene today. Her current novel, SPIRIT'S SONG, is a winner that will knock over sub-genre fans with its angst-laden characters. The western romantic story line is invigorating, and entertaining, leaving the audience searching for Ms. Baker's previous goods (see CHASE THE WIND and APACHE RUNAWAY, etc.). Ms. Baker is clearly attaining the sub-genre top rungs with her deliciously delightful stories.

Hawk's Woman
7/98 Topaz Books

The Nun
A choistered convent life had left Hallie McIntyre innocent of the world, and of men. But the wounded stranger lying in Sister Domenica's garden was sun-bronzed, strong, and fascinating. Agreeing to hide and nurse him, Hallie didn't understand the powerful feelings of desire that were propelling her toward sin. On the verge of taking her vows, she discovered the force of a different destiiny, one born of a woman's need and passion...
The Outlaw
The son of a French trapper and a Lakota medicine woman, John Walking Hawk had vowed to hunt down the marauders who slew his family. Yet the same law that refused justice to a half-breed had branded him an outlaw. Now a beautiful young woman was breaking down the bariers around his heart, daring to ride with him on a dangerous journey of vengeance, and risking everything for a love that comes only once in a lifetime.

ROMANTIC TIMES said: Powerful. Tender. Poignant. HAWK'S WOMAN is a beautiful love story full of warmth, compassion and innocent sensuality. Another Baker triumph.

Under A Prairie Moon
6/98

"He is the most frightening, handsome man I have ever seen"

Although these words had been written in antoher time, in antoher woman's diary, Kathy Conley thought they described Dalton Crowkiller perfectly. He was the kind of man a woman would sin for, die for, if she could onlykeep him in her arms.

But the dangerous half-breed belonged to the untamed West, and he'd been claimed by another woman long ago. Time itself would keep him and Kathy apart...until he was given one last chance to change the course of his life. Together, they found there was no past, no future, only the wonder of the present, the raw, aching desire between them, and a fierce love that could be satisfied, but never quenched.

ROMANTIC TIMES said: Madeline Baker writes of a ghost, a curse, and a second chance with such power and passion, readers cannot help but be mesmerized.

Feather In The Wind
Time Travel 3/97

Black Wind
He gazed out over a land as vast and empty as the sky, praying for the strength to guide his people, and he saw her face. She came to him in a vision, a woman as mysterious as the new moon over the prairie, as tender as springtime in the Paha Sapa. And he knew his life was changed forever.

Susannah
She saw his face in a faded picture, and his eyes, restless as the wind, seemed to call to her. It was said he’d been hanged nearly a century ago for kidnapping a white woman, yet his story seemed unfinished. To the writer in her, he was an inspiration, but to the lonely woman within he was a dream come true who would lure her across the years to fulfill a love beyond time.

ROMANTIC TIMES said: Though FEATHER IN THE WIND is action-packed and rich with passion, treachery and justice, fans of Ms. Baker's traditional western romances may feel that her classic novels were more emotionally moving than this departure into the paranormal.

Chase The Wind
9/96

Headstrong
Elizabeth Johnson was a woman who knew her own mind. Not for her an arranged marriage with a fancy lawyer from the East. Defying her parents, she set her sights on the handsome young sheriff of Twin Rivers. But when Dusty’s virile half-brother rode into town, Beth took one look in to the stormy black eyes of the Apache warrior and understood that this time she must follow her heart and not her head.

Heartstruck
Before she knew quite how it happened, Beth was fleeing into the desert with Chase the Wind, fighting off a lynch mob - and find ecstasy beneath starry skies. By the time she returned home, Beth had pledged herself heart and soul to Chase. But with her father forbidding him to call, Dusty engaged to another, and her erstwhile fiancé due to arrive from the East, she wondered just how many weddings it would take before they could all live happily ever after…

ROMANTIC TIMES said, This sequel to APACHE RUNAWAY is pure magic and packed with action, adventure and passion. Madeline Baker fans, get ready to laugh and cry from beginning to the surprise ending.

The Angel And The Outlaw
time travel 3/96

An outlaw, a horse thief, a man killer, J.T. Cutter wasn’t surprised when he was strung up for his crimes. What amazed him was the heavenly being who granted him one year to change his wicked ways. Yet when he returned to his old life, he hoped to cram a whole lot of hell-raising into those 12 months no matter what the future held.

But even as J.T. headed back down the trail to damnation, a sharp-tongued beauty was making other plans for him. With the body of a temptress and the heart of a saint, Brandy was the only woman who could save J.T. And no matter what it too, she’d prove to him that the road to redemption could lead to rapturous bliss.

ROMANTIC TIMES said, Madeline Baker’s newest paranormal romance is about a man who has been on the wrong path so long that he doesn’t know the right one when he stumbles upon it. It takes the courage, faith and love of a good woman to finally uncover the wonderful person beneath. Readers will rave about Madeline Baker’s extraordinary storytelling talents.

AFFAIRE DE COEUR said, Baker brought the Wild West to life in this blazing story of love and danger. There is always a touch of sadness and desperation, and the ending is nerve wracking and explosive.

Lakota Renegade
9/95

Handy with six-guns and fists, Creed Maddigan liked his women hot and ready. But the rugged half-breed wasn’t used to innocent girls like Jassy McCloud who curtsied and made ginger snaps. Then Creed was falsely jailed for a crime he didn’t commit, and he could think of nothing besides escaping to savor Jassy’s sweet love.

Alone on the Colorado frontier, Jassy could either work as a fancy lady or hope to find a husband. But what was she to do when the only man she hoped to marry was a wanted renegade? For Jassy, the decision was simple: she’d take Creed for better or worse, even if she had to spend the rest of her days dodging bounty hunters and bullets.

ROMANTIC TIMES said, Madeline Baker, who has been experimenting with different genres, returns to her signature Indian romances with LAKOTA RENEGADE. This latest addition is as rich, passionate and delicious as all her award-winning romances.

AFFAIRE DE COEUR said, Madeline Baker shows her talent as she magnificently and gloriously brings alive a familiar story line. LAKOTA RENEGADE is a first class western romance loaded with action, adventure, two great lead characters. Genre fans will relish this moving novel.

Apache Runaway
3/95

Ruthless and cunning, Ryder Fallon could deal cards and death in the same breath. Yet when the Indians took him prisoner, he was in danger of being sent to the devil - until a green-eyed angel saved his life.

For two long years, Jenny Braedon had prayed for someone to rescue her from the heathen savages who’d enslaved her. And even if Ryder was a half-breed, she’d help him in exchange for her freedom. But unknown perils and desires awaited the determined beauty in his strong arms, sweeping them both from a world of tortured agony to love’s sweet paradise.

ROMANTIC TIMES said, Madeline Baker has done it again! A heroine married to a man she doesn’t love and in love with a man she is sworn to hate. This romance is poignant, adventurous and action-packed. A must read for Native American romance fans.

Beneath The Midnight Moon
fantasy 9/94

The Man of Her Dreams
He came to her in visions - the hard-muscled stranger who promised to save her from certain death. She never dared hope that her fantasy love would hold her in his arms until the virile and magnificent dream appeared in the flesh.

The Woman of His Desires
A warrior valiant and true, he could overcome any obstacle, yet his yearning for the virginal beauty he’d rescued overwhelmed him. But no matter how his fevered body ached for her, he was betrothed to another.

The Love of Their Lives
Bound together by destiny, yet kept apart by circumstances, they braved untold perils and ruthless enemies - and found a passion that could never he rent asunder.

AFFAIRE DE COEUR said Madeline Baker has written a fantastic science fiction romance that readers will positively enjoy because of its authentic, life-like portrayal of supernatural powers to enhance a relationship of two souls. The lead characters are great, especially Hardane who is a person that the audience will want to devour whether he is in his wolf form or human form. BENEATH A MIDNIGHT MOON is one superb novel…

ROMANTIC TIMES said, Madeline Baker conquers new genre - romantic fantasy. BENEATH A MIDNIGHT MOON is mystical, magical, passionate and dazzling! Western fans will not be disappointed. Romance fans will be thrilled!

Cheyenne Surrender
3/94

Callie
She had the face of an angel and the body of a temptress. Her innocent kisses said she was still untouched, but her reputation said she was available to any man who had the price of a night’s entertainment.

Caleb
Callie’s sweetness touched his heart, but the whole town of Cheyenne knew she was no better than the woman who’d raised her - his own father’s mistress. Torn by conflicting desire, the handsome half-breed didn’t know whether he wanted her walking down the aisle in white satin, or warm and willing in his bed, clothed in nothing but ivory flesh.

AFFAIRE DE COEUR said, The story moves along at a fast past clip. This is particularly good because the story is not predictable. Conflicts abound and just as I thought I knew what would happen next, it didn’t. Along with these mounting conflicts, Caleb’s sexual tension builds. I enjoyed CHEYENNE SURRENDER and with a clear conscience could recommend it to someone who likes romance.

Warrior's Lady
fantasy 9/93

The Warrior
He was everything a woman dreams of in a man - strong, virile, courageous. More at home on the battlefield than in the bedroom, he would give his heart only once and fight to the death to protect his love.

The Lady
A creature of moonlight and quicksilver, she had rescued him from unspeakable torture, then healed him body and soul. She was all he’d ever wanted in a woman - gentle, innocent, exquisitely lovely - but his enemies would do everything in their power to keep her from him. Only a passion born of desperate need could prevail against such hatred and unite two lovers against such odds.

THE TALISMAN said, WARRIOR’S LADY will keep the reader on the edge of his/her seat. It is a fast paced mystical romance that will call readers’ emotions to the surface, as you feel Jarrett’s pain, Leyla’s love and Rorke’s maniacal anger. With its colorful cast of characters, readers are sure to fall in love with WARRIOR’S LADY. It is very reminiscent of some of the beloved fairy tale classics that many of us grew up on. Madeline Baker fans, accustomed to her adventurous western/Indian historicals will be swept away as she delves into and takes the fantasy genre by storm.

The Spirit Path
time travel 3/93

The Medicine Man
Strong and wise beyond his years, Shadow Hawk was the spiritual leader of his people, but he had seen a troubling vision that even he could not understand.

The Spirit Woman
Beautiful and infinitely desirable, she seemed to beckon Hawk away from the Lakota, drawing him to an unknown place where passion and peril prevailed.

The Path of Love
Together despite all odds, Maggie and Hawk discovered a shared destiny that would conquer time itself and unite them body and soul.

AFFAIRE DE COEUR said, Madeline Baker has written a very special book. It has all the elements of a wonderful book wrapped in one beautiful story. She deals with time travel, Indian lore, romance and heartbreaking decisions. Half contemporary, half historical, THE SPIRIT PATH is an action packed, fast-paced read that is impossible to put down. Ms. Baker touches every emotion and will leave your heart singing. Ms. Baker is a master at spinning tales and this is one of her best!
THE TALISMAN said, Madeline Baker has outdone herself with THE SPIRIT PATH. I have recommended it to everyone, even those who do not read romances.

Midnight Fire
9/92

He was a hard riding, hard drinking drifter, a half-breed who had no use for a frightened white girl fleeing an unwanted wedding. He told himself he needed only the money she offered to guide her across the plains, but half-way between Galveston and Ogallala, where the burning prairie met the endless night sky, he made her his woman. Now she was his to protect, his to cherish, and he would allow no man, white or Indian, to come between them. There in the vast wilderness where his desire had ignited hers, he swore to change his life path, to fulfill the challenge of his vision quest, if only he could keep her love.

ROMANTIC TIMES said, MIDNIGHT FIRE is captivating, poignant, delicious and passionate! Once again, Madeline Baker proves that she has the Midas touch. MIDNIGHT FIRE is a heart-wrenching, soul-searching, exquisite journey of self-fulfillment and love lost and found. A definite treasure!

Comanche Flame
3/92

He was a loner, a drifter, a fast gun whose aura of dangerous virility turned pretty heads all across the West. But if his reputation as an outlaw didn’t warn decent women away, his Comanche blood did…

He saved Jessica’s life out on the desolate plains, then made her a willing captive of his savage desire. But even when he had left her behind to rejoin his people, Jesse found she could not forget him. Safe and respectable once again, she longed for her once-in-a-lifetime love, knew she would give up everything for just one more night of ecstasy with the man called Dancer.

ROMANTIC TIMES said, COMANCHE FLAME is another Madeline Baker triumph! Powerful, passionate, and action-packed, it will keep readers on the edge of their seats from page one.

A Whisper In The Wind
9/91

The Black Hills, 1876
It was a land where a man could ride for days without seeing anything but fragrant pines, an occasional deer, or a lone eagle soaring in the limitless blue sky…a land where the Indian still roamed wild and free…an land that drew together two lovers to embrace a passionate destiny neither could have foreseen.

The Cheyenne
Accustomed to the ways of the white man, he returned to his tribe in search of a vision quest, to share with his people the glory and heartache of the last golden days before the Battle of the Little Big Horn, and to find the beautiful woman who haunted his dreams.

Elayna
Sheltered and innocent, she shared every civilized woman’s fear of the Indian, until she was kidnapped by the darkly handsome Cheyenne. Slowly, her disdain changed to desire beneath his hard, bronzed body, until she would make any sacrifice to keep him by her side forever.

ROMANTIC TIMES said, A WHISPER IN THE WIND is fresh, powerful, and exciting, a time-travel novel taut with raw primal tension and rich in Indian history and tradition. Such a tale could only be penned by Leisure’s Leading Lady of Indian romance, Madeline Baker!

Prarie Heat
3/91

A remorseless bounty hunter, an impenitent outlaw, and a renegade Apache boy - they made strange traveling companions for a prim, Boston-bred spinster like Matilda Thornton. But before the stagecoach could rattle its dusty way through the dangerous Indian territory, Matilda would unpin her hair, roll up her sleeves and save the lives of all three. She would risk torture, ravishment and capture by savages. And in the strong, bronzed arms of the most unlikely suitor, she would lose her innocence, trade her virtue for a night of ecstasy, and discover a wild desire that rivaled the scorching heat of the prairie sun.

ROMANTIC TIMES said, PRAIRIE HEAT is a smoldering tale of revenge and passion as only Madeline Baker can write. Her characters are realistic, her writing sensual, and the background rich in Indian culture. This is without doubt one of her best.

Forbidden Fires
9/90

Beautiful and hot-headed, Caitlyn had vowed to hate all Indians until the day she died. After all, weren’t they the ones responsible for the senseless massacre of her beloved brothers? But when she gazed into the defiant eyes of the half-breed her father was planning to hang, she knew she couldn’t let an innocent man die. She wanted to scorn Stalking Wolf as the other townsfolk did, but his proud bearing won her respect and his hard body drew her like a moth to the flame. In his bronzed arms, she would forget her vow of hatred, forget propriety, forget everything but his searing kisses and the burning ecstasy of FORBIDDEN FIRES.

ROMANTIC TIMES said, Madeline Baker is synonymous with tender western romances, and FORBIDDEN FIRES should not be missed! Caitlyn Carmichael is obsessive in her hatred toward Indians, yet she falls in love with a handsome half-breed. Caitlyn insists on ignoring Rafe’s heritage until circumstances force her to confront and overcome her prejudices and accept Rafe’s love. Ms. Baker gives us a valuable lesson in loving.

Lacey's Way
3/90

Lacey Montana was alone in the world except for her father, so when he was sentenced to twenty years in Yuma Penitentiary, she had no choice but to follow the prison wagon. The long trek across the plains had barely begun when things took a surprising turn: Indians attacked the wagon, kidnapping her father and leaving behind only one prisoner still alive.

Part Apache, part gambler, Matt Drago was no angel, but he swore he was innocent of any crime. Lacey was frightened by the savage intensity she saw in his dark eyes, but helpless and alone, she offered to tend Matt’s wounds if he would help her find her father. Stranded in the burning desert, desperation turned to fierce passion as they struggled to stay alive on their dangerous journey. Matt longed to posses his beautiful savior body and soul, but if he wanted to win her heart, he’d have to do it LACEY’S WAY.

First Love, Wild Love
9/89

First Love
From the moment she caught sight of him,, working on the road gang, Brianna knew the Indian was forbidden to her. He was a prisoner, a heathen, a savage male animal who would have no mercy on her tender youth and innocence. Yet one look in his dark, fathomless eyes told Brianna he’d captured her soul.

Wild Love
From the moment he escaped the white man’s chains, Brianna knew she must go with him. He was her life, her fate, and one touch of his sleek, bronzed body told her she wanted no mercy…only the searing ecstasy of his savage love.

ROMANTIC TIMES said, Madeline Baker is always a pleasure to read! FIRST LOVE, WILD LOVE is a heartrending story of a forbidden love. Brianna loves Shunkaha in spite of the hatred and war between their people. This novel is more than a love story. It is a vivid portrait and a tribute to the bravery of the Lakota, written with warmth and a stark realism that marks all of Ms. Baker’s Indian romances.

Renegade Heart
3/89

When beautiful Rachel Halloran took Logan Tyree into her home, he was unconscious, a renegade Indian with a bullet wound in his side and a price on his head. To Rachel, he was nothing but trouble, a man whose dark sensuality made her long for forbidden pleasures. To her father he was the answer to a prayer, a gunslinger whose legendary skill could rid the ranch of a powerful enemy. 

But Logan Tyree would answer to no man...and to no woman. If John Halloran wanted his services, he would have to pay dearly for them. And if Rachel wanted his loving, she would have to give up her innocence, her reputation, her very heart and soul.

Reckless Desire
sequel to RECKLESS LOVE 9/88

"You say you love my daughter. I forbid it! You have no right to interfere in her life so long as she is bound to another." So spoke the great Cheyenne warrior Two Hawks Flying, and Cloud Walker knew his harsh words were only too true. Serenely beautiful, sweetly tempting, Mary was tied to a man who despised her for her Indian heritage, but that gave Cloud Walker no right to claim her soft lips, to brand her yearning body with his savage love. Yet try as he might, he found it impossible to deny their passion, impossible to escape the scandal, the sorrow, the soaring ecstasy of their RECKLESS DESIRE.

ROMANTIC TIMES said, This is the kind of wonderful, heart-rending, tearjerker readers have come to expect from Madeline Baker. Like F. Roseanne Bittner, she makes you laugh and cry as the lovers triumph over prejudice and vengeful enemies.

Love Forevermore
2/88

The West - it had been Loralee’s dream for as long as she could remember, and Indians were the most fascinating part of the wildly beautiful frontier she imagined. But when Loralee arrived at Fort Apache as the new schoolmarm, she had some hard realities to learn..and a harsh taskmaster to teach her. Shad Zuniga was fiercely proud, aloof, a renegade Apache who wanted no part of the white man’s world, not even its women. Yet Loralee was driven to seek him out, compelled to join him in a forbidden union, forced to become an outcast for one slim chance at LOVE FOREVERMORE.

ROMANTIC TIMES said, Madeline Baker fans will be thrilled with her latest and best Indian romance. Readers will clutch wildly at their handkerchiefs while being caught up in the lovers’ triangle, and don’t be surprised if you shout for joy as Loralee and Shad LOVE FOREVERMORE.

Reckless Love
5/87
Sequel to Reckless Heart

Two men claimed her - only one could tame her reckless heart…
Joshua Berdeen was the cavalry soldier who had traveled the country in search of the lovely Hannah Kincaid. Josh offered her a life of ease in New York City, and all the finer things. Two Hawks Flying was the Cheyenne warrior who had branded her body with his searing desire. Outlawed by the civilized world, he could offer her only the burning ecstasy of his love. But she wanted no soft words of courtship when his hard lips took her to the edge of rapture…and beyond.

Love In The Wind
8/96

Shattered by grief at her fiancé’s death, lovely Katy Marie Alvarez decided to enter a convent. But fate had other plans. En route to her destination, the coach in which Katy traveled was attacked by Indians and Katy, the lone survivor, taken captive. Thus she became the slave of the handsome, arrogant Cheyenne warrior known as Iron Wing. Quickened by desire that transformed hatred into love, both were soon ablaze with an erotic flame which neither time nor treachery could quench.

Reckless Heart
7/85

They had played together as children, the Indian lad and little Hannah Kincaid. Then Shadow and his people went away, and when he returned, it was as a handsome young Cheyenne brave. Hannah, now a beautiful young woman, had never forgotten her childhood friend - but the man who swept her into his powerful arms was no longer a child. He awakened in her a wild, erotic passion she had never known.

But war was about to erupt in Dakota Territory, a war that would pit the settlers against the Indians. Both Hannah and Shadow knew that the time was coming when they would have choose between happiness and hatred, between passion and duty, in a conflict that would test to the limit the steadfastness of their love.