1854, England.
Out on a hunting trip, Colin MacLain and a scullery maid, Jennie Cromb, save Count Bolugayevski from a bog. He’s quite taken with Jennie and when he leaves, takes her with him, much to Colin’s disappointment.
At the Battle of Balaclava, after has been declared against Russia, Lieutenant Colin MacLain of the 11th Hussars finds himself wounded and taken captive by his old enemy Bolugayevski.
His entanglement with the three beautiful Bolugayevska sisters, the arrogantly sensual Dagmar, the mysterious Anna, and the frivolous Alexandra, leads him to both triumph and tragedy.
When he beds Dagmar, her father sees this as a promise of marriage.
But Colin is desperate not to marry her: she is hardly a lady and she is Russian.
But the Russian family still have Jennie Cromb, and threaten to hurt her should he not follow through with the marriage.
But Jennie is planning a revenge of her own, when she goes and buys a Colt and hands it to her son.
When the Count is slain in battle, Colin is the only male left to take his place.
But at the funeral, Jennie’s son shoots the Prince and Dagmar and Colin become the Princess and Prince of the realm…
As he gets more and more involved with the Bolugayevski family, dark secrets spill out.
Colin ends up with all of the power, using it to keep Jenny from the hangman’s noose for the Prince’s murder.
But he couldn’t protect her from brutality and rape.
Six years later, into this world of brutal sophistication there rides the American Charles Cromb, seeking his long lost cousin, and setting off a series of events which may destroy the family…
What lengths will Dagmar go to to keep her power?
Will the whole family survive as the fighting gets out of control?
It’s up to Colin to keep those closest to him alive and keep Dagmar under control…
'The Seeds of Power' is the first exciting installment of The Russian Saga series.
Praise for Christopher Nicole:
‘…military saga covering the years from the Boer War through WW I. Bosoms still heave and legs still flash, but they're background colour in the story of Murdoch Mackinder and his career in the family regiment’ – Kirkus Review [on The Regiment]
‘Well-researched…Evocative descriptions of scenery and edifices, and exact period dialogue’ – Historical Novels Society
Christopher Nicole (born 1930) was brought up in British Guyana and the West Indies. He was a prolific historical writer, both under his own name and pennames. His books include 'The Command', 'The Regiment' and 'Sword of Fortune'.
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