title: The Prodigal Hero
author: Butler, Nancy
description: Hostage Hearts
  
  It's Christmastime in London, but all is not merry for a former sea captain called MacHeath. Down to his last few shillings, he's nipping away the cold in a pub when he overhears a group of ruffians planning a kidnapping. Their prey turns out to be the daughter of MacHeath's old employer -- who he hasn't seen in ten years...
  
  Alexa Prescott is traveling home for the holidays. Tired of the high-society life of London, she hopes to convince her father to allow her to work in the shipyard where she is happiest. But then she is abducted by MacHeath -- in the guise of a highwayman. Suspicious of his claims that he's merely trying to protect her, Alexa is nonetheless charmed by her kidnapper -- whose real identity she doesn't remember. And even as their affection for each other grows, the real villains are in pursuit...
  
  Hero: Captain Simeon MacHeath Hastings Broadbeam
  Heroine: Alexandra (Alexa) Prescott