I have a feeling this might be two books compressed into one memory, but I’ll ask you, who knows more than I do. From OldTimer:
My sis-in-law, who lives in Europe, occasionally bugs me to locate a book
she read years ago. The current search is driving me dinky-dow; she has lots
of info, and no one responds. I just stumbled upon Smart Bitches and felt a
surge of optimism—you are for sure the experts in this area. So let me give
you what I got from her:Two cousins are sailing to America from England so the richer one will marry
a Lucien Rutledge. She is pregnant and persuades her cousin, Linnet, to take
her place. Linnet finds Lucien rude and crude, so sells herself as a bond
servant. She is nearly raped by the son of her new owner and is being
brought back to Jamestown when Tuscarora Indians attack and kill the owner.
Linnet is made a captive along with a pregnant white woman. The woman has
her baby and dies. Linnet takes care of it and , when Lucien rescues her,
passes the child off as her own. She is sent back to England, meets an old
codger on board ship, and marries him out of despair. Somehow she learns
that her father, who was presumed dead, is alive and rich and her cousin is
pretending to be his daughter. The truth emerges, the baby is presented to
Queen Anne, and eventually the old husband dies. Father and daughter sail
back to the American colonies and Linnet at last marries Lucien Rutledge.She thinks the book was published in the 1970s All that detail and so far no
one has recognized it. I began posting on this in March 2009! But someone in
your orbit, I feel it deep in my heart, will no right away.
Also, “dinky-dow” is my new favorite phrase. Anyone recognize this book?
I haven’t a dinky-dow ! But I want to know so I
can read it.
The only thing I can offer is Jude Devereux, but
only because I know she wrote a James River
trilogy (Sweetbriar by JD’s ringing a bell,but, it
hit the wall before I finished it !)
Here’s a shot in the dark – it reminds me of a couple oldies-but-goodies from Constance Gluyas back in the day. I remember a couple of books, Savage Eden or the Passionate Savage or even Rogue’s Mistress. Anyhoo, the plot line sounds like a Gluyas to me!
If he’s saying dinky-dow, he is not only an Old Timer but probably a VN era vet. The term comes from Vietnamese. The literal translation of the Vietnamese words is “electricity in the head” according to my own oldtimer off in the corner there. OTOH,no idea about the book but it sounds interesting.
The heroine of Jude Deveraux’s Sweetbriar is named Linnet. But the whole other chick’s baby thing reminds me of a Lindsay I read?
I haven’t a clue but I like “dinky dow”. I hope you find this book.
According to my Vietnamese college roommate, back in the day, Dinky-dow means “crazy”, colloquially.
Parts of it really sound like Sweetbriar: the heroine’s name is Linnet and she is English. She’s kidnapped by Indians and rescued by a white man, and she’s nearly raped by his cousin. But the hero’s name is Devon, and Linnet doesn’t have a cousin. She does have a secret baby, but it’s not adopted, it’s her own. And she doesn’t go back to England; plus the book is set about seventy years after Queen Anne died.
I do wonder if it’s been confused with another book? Parts of it sound just like Sweetbriar, and Linnet isn’t a particularly common name (is it? I don’t remember reading another Linnet) so I’m wondering if it’s two books confused into one.
I had this book, and skimmed through it fairly recently,(within the last 6 months or so) but can’t remember the name.
But someone in
your orbit, I feel it deep in my heart, will no right away.