To Sofie, social ostracism as an unwed mother is preferable to a marriage of unrequited love. Her solitude turns chaotic as her mother badgers her to give the child up for adoption while Edward, riddled with guilt, insists on a marriage of convenience. It is time, he figures, ``to do something noble and worthy for a change.'' Edward's scheme backfires as Sofie ends up head-over-heels in love with him and pregnant besides. Edward Delanza, a self-serving rake with a reputation to match, takes Sofie's dilemma to heart and decides to boost her ego. Lame from a childhood injury-which seems to disappear midway through the book-Sofie O'Neil is certain she is destined to live out her life as an eccentric spinster devoted to her canvases. The blossoming of a shy, introverted artist and the man who captures her heart are the engaging protagonists in Joyce's seventh historical romance after Promise of the Rose.
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