The Story of a Baron — Linda Rae Sande

What will she discover when she reads between the lines? Jeffrey Althorpe is in need of more income for the struggling Sommers barony. As a peer of the realm, he's not allowed to work, but if he's able to earn money from a book he's written â€" anonymously, of course â€" no one will be the wiser. A dowry would be easier, but then he would have to find a woman willing to marry a baron. While her brother, the Earl of Everly, is away on one of his lengthy expeditions, Lady Evangeline is left behind in London to spend her days creating exquisite embroideries and reading books. She's about to buy The Story of a Baron at The Temple of Muses when Lord Sommers suddenly appears. He's intent on buying the very same book, but there's only the one copy. Desperate to discover what changes his publisher might have made to his story â€" without letting on he's the author â€" Jeffrey suggests they read it together. Evangeline's sterling reputation could use a bit of scandal, she decides, and so she agrees to Lord Sommer's proposal. As the two read The Story a Baron, Evangeline realizes some of the characters and settings are just a bit too familiar. And a bit too close to home. Was she the inspiration for the baron's secret love, a bold, brash woman whose reputation is in tatters? With her own reputation suddenly in question, Evangeline finds her life imitating art. How can the book have a happy ending when she wishes she'd never purchased The Story of a Baron?