No Escape from Love

When the Armistice between France and England came to an end in 1803,Napoleon interned ten thousand British tourists who were in France atthat time. Most of these tourists had committed no crime and hadsimply been travelling when captured.Many, to save being arrestedwent into hiding, among them the widow and daughter of Sir EdwardWaltham, who had died that winter. A year later, plunged intopoverty and the seedier side of Paris life, beautiful Vernita Walthamis keeping her sick mother precariously alive on the money she obtains from making exquisitely embroidered lingerie for a famous shop thatsupplies Napoleon?s sister, Her Imperial Highness Princess PaulineBorghese.Vernita discovers the shop is cheating and desperate toraise money for food and medicine, decides to approach the Princessdirectly with a negligee she has just finished, disguised as a petitebourgeoisie.Extravagant and self-obsessed, Princess Pauline isenchanted with Vernita?s skills as a needlewoman and convinced thatthe silk and lace creations will only enhance her reputation as themost beautiful woman in Paris. She immediately determines that Vernita must move to the Palace and join the legion of servants that alreadypander to her vanity. From that moment on Vernita is thrust intocomplications with the Princess?s lover, handsome Count Axel deStorvik, and the all-powerful Emperor Napoleon himself.Unsure ofwhom to trust in a Palace filled with secret assignations andpolitical intrigue, Vernita soon finds herself in a position thatcould ruin her reputation for ever. But how long can an English ladyof quality remain hidden amongst the loyal family and servants of theenemy French Emperor? Terrified of discovery and fearful of thefuture, Vernita dreams of escape and a return to her home in Englandonly to find an ally, waiting like a guiding star, in the mostunlikely of places.