Looking for a specific series. Can you help???

[Kimberly]

I read a series about 10 years ago and I been thinking about it a lot lately and would like to read it again. The problem is I can't remember the titles or who wrote it. Can you help???

Here's what I remember:
-The editions I read were paperback so that would put the original publication date around, but most likely before 1997.
-It's a sci/fi space series (trilogy, at the time at least).
-I don't recall any unusual creatures, but that doesn't mean there weren't any.
-The main character was a female space pilot.
-The term for space travel (that sounded to me like "Star Trek's" Warp speed or like a forced worm hole that makes traveling between two points shorter) was called 'purgatory'.

The first book-
-It starts off with the main character going to court to claim her dead father's possessions on a male dominated planet.
-Her father dies with a lot of debt and in order to avoid paying it off herself she has to sell her father's ship (and I think company) to her father's most hated competitor. Leaving her with nothing.
-As she is headed down a tunnel/walkway after leaving the court, a man approaches her for a job to pilot his ship.
-After some time the captain and the engineer approach her with a plan to allow the engineer to visit (specifically for business) the captain's home planet (only natives of the planet, relatives or spouses can step foot on the planet). The deal was a three-way marriage between both the male crew members (captain and engineer) and herself. Thus allowing them all to visit the planet.
--I don't remember much after that of the first book, nor the second book.

Third book-
-She discovers that she has some magical type powers (I think this was apart of the second book)
-She is sent into a female only facility (it wasn't a prison, but like a school of some kind. I don't quite remember) to rescue or help some powerful man's daughter.
-They escape via the water on what sounded like a motor boat or jet ski type thing.

I know this is a lot of information, but I would really appreciate any information (titles or author) you can provide. Thanks in advance! --Kim

[Linnea]

LOVED this series. First book was Five-Twelfths of Heaven. Melissa Scott is the author. The first fan letter I ever wrote to an author, I wrote to her and she wrote me back! Was I thrilled!

Ship's moved by harmonics.

Silence Leigh is the female protagonist. I really need to dig it out and read it again. ~Linnea

www.linneasinclair.com

[Kimberly]

Thank you so much!!! This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks again for your help! --Kim