Gracie | On August 22, 2016

Realtime Price: £3.19

Peter Wells discovers an old portrait in a Washington, D.C. antique store that he believes has not only been painted by John Singer Sargent, but the Victorian lady’s delicate features so intrigue him that he offers to buy it. The antique dealer refuses to sell the painting until it’s authenticated. Thus, Peter begins a quest to learn more about this breathtaking beauty. Is this the face of someone he recognizes? SARGENT’S LADY is a story of love, sacrifice, and survival from the late 1800’s – 1950’s throughout the United States and Europe. After a clandestine love affair in Paris, Maud Driscoll, a Boston debutante, finds herself alone and pregnant, only to learn the baby’s father has been murdered. As an aspiring young artist, Maud is forced by Victorian convention to relinquish her baby at birth. She continues studying and painting until the outbreak of the Great War when she returns to the United States. Several years later, Maud marries a prominent Boston scion but discovers her marriage a farce. Not wanting to face any public humiliation or gossip, she returns to Europe, this time to Italy. The subsequent years bring her worldwide fame through her artwork. She finds love and marries a baron. At the onset of WWII, the Nazis commandeer their home, destroying all the vineyards, and the winery. Maud and her husband, Giovanni, work as servants to survive the shattering onslaught. They stay alive, dreaming they can begin a new life in California. Post war, Maud’s life takes a dramatic turn. She finds her son and discovers he married the daughter of her best friend. The families unite in love and in common interests as they plant vineyards, and build a winery. Will history repeat itself?

Genre: Historical Romance, Mystery