Portrait of Bethany

the long version

Bethany was an unwanted stepdaughter when David swept into her life and took her to Italy to his beautiful villa. Forgetting the blood tie between them. she fell in love with him — and when David sent her back to England, denying the love she was sure he felt for her, she was heartbroken. But time passed, and Bethany met Robert Rathbone — a practised seducer who, to her astonishment, asked her to marry him. Then after she had accepted him, she learned that she and David were not related after all. But was he still free? Did he love her? And what of her commitment to Robert? Unusual love triangle for an M&B book; 2 men in love with same girl - Bethany - she thinks she loves the one she grew up with, but ends up with the supposed 'cad'. Story is unusual as it outlines B's relationship with childhood love, which comes VERY close to being fully sexual and follows all the cliches of a M&B to lead reader on to think this is the 'hero' - but book does a 360 degree turn and the 'happy ever after' is with the man one didn't expect. Ending scene is with childhood love, regretting losing B, whom he describes as 'his other half'.