Mary Burchell

It was for the sake of that dear old lady, Mrs. Harnby, that Patricia agreed to the fantastic suggestion that she should masquerade for a few days as Michael Harnby's wife. How was she to know that the deception would spread wider and wider until she even had to make the man she loved believe that she was indeed married to Michael?

The tense and yet entertaining situation keeps its interest right up to the ingenious and unexpected ending -- an ending brought about by the masterful intervention of that fragile mother whom everyone had been trying to protect.

from republished (1966) Harlequin back cover: Was Lindsay Varlon just an attractive scoundrel -- or Thea's best friend in a difficult world? Cousin Geraldine, the popular and beautiful actress, probably knew the answer, but she was not inclined to help her penniless young relative.

Then Stephen Dorley came on the scene, and Thea was able to see that ordinary, day-to-day niceness is better, after all, than exciting, but slightly dangerous uncertainty. Or is it?