The Benevolent Bride
First, the Wedding...Then, True Love...

It was a marriage of convenience--but a marriage, nonetheless. And no one was more pleased than Laura's dear mother, who feared her bookish young daughter was destined for spinsterhood. Even so, the dashing widower Lord Eric Delarnore agreed that Laura would make a competent mother to his future heirs. It was, after all, a perfect arrangement.

Laura felt a deep affection for her new husband, a delicate love that was seldom returned. But soon, Eric showed her feelings of esteem, friendship, and--if Laura was not mistaken--inclination. Until Laura's sister arrived. A famous beauty and notorious flirt, she was also the living image of Eric's late and lovely wife. And now, Laura had two rivals in love--one, a cherished memory, the other, her own flesh and blood! Still, Laura was determined to win her husband's heart ... no matter how cunning the scheme!