Spring At The Villa

the long version

Elizabeth had taken a post for a year on the coast of Provence in one last attempt to try and trace the sister from whom she had been separated since childhood. It was a very long shot, as all she knew was that Diana was living somewhere in France. But real life is often stranger than fiction, and Elizabeth did indeed find her sister - but found, too, that she was in love with the same man as Elizabeth herself; and that the dice were heavily loaded in her favour. For how could Louis de Sergeron, Comte d'Anelle, ever notice, let alone prefer, a humble English nanny when a beautiful, sophisticated woman of the world was his for the asking? Elizabeth could have borne the situation better had she been able to believe that Diana could make Louis happy - but her new-found sister was proving a disillusionment in every way. Should she go away and leave her a clear field, or stay on in the hope that Louis might come to his senses in time?