Upon Leaving Bizarre

In 1790's Virginia, reputation is everything and a scandal has the power to destroy entire families.  

As the middle daughter of a Virginia planter, Nancy Randolph was born into a world of wealth and privilege. When an argument with her new stepmother forces Nancy to leave her childhood home, the spirited seventeen-year-old accepts an invitation to stay with her older sister and brother-in-law at their plantation, Bizarre. Nancy is immediately drawn to the isolated beauty of Bizarre, but she quickly learns that life here is not what it seems, and she finds herself growing dangerously close to her sister's husband, Richard Randolph. 

Two years later, a body is found on a woodpile and rumors turn to indictments. Richard is arrested for murder and Nancy is charged as a coconspirator, crimes that could cost them their lives at the end of a hangman's noose. The drama plays out in a rural courtroom as witnesses testify about screams in the night, blood on the stairs, and secret embraces as their future teeters between ruin and redemption. 

Richard and Nancy are acquitted and return to Bizarre, but the rumors persist. Tragedy strikes again three years later, bringing new challenges and new secrets to keep. Nancy is forced into exile and must learn to make her way on her own. When she is offered a second chance for a life far from her Virginia home, she seizes the opportunity. But the past is never far away, and the secrets Nancy carries soon threaten her newfound happiness. Can she find the courage to fight back and claim her own truth in her own words? 

Based on the true story of a remarkable women, Upon Leaving Bizarre is a richly atmospheric novel of courage, scandal, and vindication.