Susannah Morrow

Only fifteen years of age, Charity Fowler has lost too much: her mother in childbirth and her illusions about love to a young man who broke her heart. Her stern Puritan father has withdrawn from his family; and her aunt, Susannah Morrow, who has just arrived from London, is struggling to find her place in the family.

But it quickly becomes clear that Susannah has chosen the wrong time to be a part of this rigidly religious community. Her beauty, independence, and obvious sensuality challenge its established ways-and when a red bodice, an object of sin in Salem, is found in her trunk, rumors sweep through the village that Susannah has been an actress...or worse. As the suspicions against her mount the fanaticism, repressed emotions, and sexual guilt in Salem explode into a form of hysteria that will make its name infamous and touch everyone she loves.

Her impressionable niece Charity will have to come to grips with or be controlled by her deepest fears. Charity's father will have to choose between his terror of temptation and his feelings for the woman who questions the beliefs at the core of his life. And Susannah herself must face condemnation and the horror of the witch trials.