The Present - Softcover

The Present finds the Malory clan gathered at their ancestral estate to celebrate the holidays. To add to the excitement, a beautifully wrapped gift has mysteriously appeared in the parlor. No one knows who placed it there and Jason Malory, the eldest and only permanent resident of Haverston, has no inkling that the intriguing package is about to change his life forever. What connection does the gaily wrapped gift have with the unmarked grave in the meadow? Was the great-great-grandmother of this generation of Malory's a Gypsy or a Russian Princess? Or both? How will the Malory clan accept the secrets revealed by this wonderful Christmas gift? The Present is a charming, warm, and amusing visit with the much-loved members of the fascinating Malory family. --Lois Faye Dyer

The remarkable JOHANNA LINDSEY brings together her most beloved creations -- the incorrigible, incomparable Malorys -- for a joyous celebration of passion, tenderness, surprise, wonder, and love in a Christmas story you will never forget.

As the entire Malory family gathers at Haverston to celebrate the season, all is not well. Underlying tensions threaten to dampen the holidays spirit -- until a mysterious present that arrives anonymously is opened and shared by all.

The gift is an old journal -- a tender and tempestuous account of the love affair between the second Marquis, Christopher Malory, and a dark gypsy beauty named Anastasia, who seeks a love match with a non-gypsy in order to save herself from a prearranged marriage to a brute. Though the dashing English lord Anastasia sets her sights upon burns for the exquisite, exotic miss, Christopher could never consent to wed such a lowborn lady. But miracles have been known to happen in this season of peace and giving and love, as two extraordinary people separated by circumstance of birth begin a passionate dance of will and wiles. And in the miraculous blossoming of a resplendent romance at a long ago Christmastime, there are wise and well-learned lessons that will enrich the hearts of the Malory descendants -- and, indeed, of everyone who has ever dreamed.

Open and discover a special gift of love this holiday season.