Slighted love : $b or, At her heart's expense

A young woman named Italy Vale arrives on the wind‑swept shores of Winthrop‑by‑the‑Sea, a striking figure whose exotic beauty seems out of place among the bleak New England landscape. She lives with her mother, a sorrowful woman whose eyes betray a lifetime of hidden grief, and together they drift from place to place like restless ghosts, feeling the sting of society’s cold stare. In a tender, heart‑wrenching confession, the mother reveals the dark secret that has haunted them: she was once accused of her husband’s murder, endured a trial, and was ultimately acquitted, leaving a lingering shadow over their fragile peace.

Now, amid the unfamiliar dunes and a community that regards them with suspicion, Italy must grapple with the weight of her mother’s past while seeking her own sense of belonging. The novel follows her as she confronts whispered rumors, a tangled web of accusations, and the promise of new, uncertain alliances. With each step, the Vale mother‑daughter pair must decide whether love can truly overcome the lingering echoes of tragedy.