The Earl of Charrington fell in love with the spirited lady in a portrait he purchased. But believing that no such real person existed, he settled for a suitable match, becoming engaged to the lovely Barbara Wyatt, daughter of his business partner. But when he arranged to have her portrait painted by C. A. Manners, he found that Cecilia Manners had done a self-portrait. Regency Romance by Evelyn Richardson; originally published by Signet

Sebastian, Earl of Charrington, is in love--with a woman in a painting. Unable to identify the woman portrayed, or to find a flesh-and-blood woman with the same sense of spirit and wit, Sebastian has finally settled on marrying beautiful Barbara Wyatt, the daughter of a man Sebastian considers a valued friend and mentor. To celebrate their upcoming nuptials, Sebastian arranges to have Barbara's portrait painted by a talented new artist, C. A. Manners. Upon arriving at the artist's studio with his fiancee, Sebastian, much to his surprise, discovers that not only is C. A. Manners not a man but that Cecilia Manners is the woman in his beloved painting. Richardson's elegant prose is lightly leavened with warm wit, and her delightful tale of two people who have dedicated their lives to work, only to discover what they have been missing when it comes to romance, is simply irresistible. John Charles
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