The Duchess' Lover by Julie Beard

From Barnes & Noble

Though only 40, newly widowed Olivia, Duchess of Brandhurst, has already spent more than half her life in a horrible marriage. She'd been trapped for 22 years by a cruel combination of fear and society's expectations in a stifling facade of Victorian respectability that hid her husband's unfaithfulness and unspeakable desires. But Olivia's widowhood hides its own secrets. It seems that she alone realizes that the duke was murdered. And she is astounded by the intensity of her passionate response to Will Barnes, the handsome artist who'd come to design her husband's funeral plot. She knows that an alliance between a gardener's son and a highborn lady is unthinkable. But, when Olivia's freedom is threatened after the duke's murder comes to light, Will is her only hope. Despite whatever heartbreak their reunion might bring, Will must find a way to set Olivia free from her past, whether or not she chooses afterward to make The Duchess' Lover her own true love.

From the Publisher

A breathtaking new historical romance about one night of passion between a society lady and a handsome gardener-and the consequences of falling in love.

Publishers Weekly

Set during the late Victorian period, Beard's newest (after Very Truly Yours) is a descriptive love story that emphasizes the tensions between the social classes. Olivia Thorpe, the newly widowed duchess of Brandhurst, and Will Barnes, a garden designer and frustrated portrait painter, share a heated, spontaneous night together following the death of Olivia's husband, but it isn't until a year later that they are forced to face the consequences of their actions. Unbeknownst to many, the duke's death was not due to natural causes. He was murdered, and Olivia's power-hungry nephew intends to drag the scandal out into the open and accuse her of the deed. After all, the duke was stabbed with her letter opener, and she had plenty of motive her husband was abusive. Will, however, is determined to find the killer and salvage Olivia's reputation, even if it means giving up their love. A subplot focusing on the plight of female factory workers is woven seamlessly into the plot, and a cast of full-bodied secondary characters augment the narrative. The resulting book is a multifaceted read that paints an accurate portrait of a bygone era while tugging on the reader's heartstrings. (Apr.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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