The Shadow of Sin

Celesta is surprised when a stranger comes upon her in the family peach house, calls her a thief for stealing 'his' fruit, and then kisses her most inappropriately. What's more, she discovers that he is absolutely right...and that everything she owns (including the priory she lives in) now belongs to him, all thanks to her brother's heedless gambling. Now, she can only remain in the priory for as long as its new master lets her. And this new master is none other than the powerful Earl of Meltham- who, on the first day of their acquaintance, not only kisses her but shamelessly asks her to be his mistress! She refuses the indecent offer of course, and what follows is a sequence of events where her useless brother, Giles, not only gets himself into further trouble, but also drags her down with him. Celesta must not only adapt to this new situation, she must also resist the unwanted advances of another suitor- the evil Lord Crawthorne. While this story was not perfect, it was by no means an enjoyable read, complete with your usual set of colorful characters- the hero (a rakehell who is reformed and does the magnificent knight-in-shining-armor act in the end), the heroine (the innocent virgin who is awakened to love), the brother (a drunkard with no ambition in life, save for getting a whisk of the last bottle), the Nanny (a typical fusspot who has the heroine's best interests at heart), and last but not the least, the villain...an evil, scheming lecher who will do anything to get his hands on the pure maiden