Shades of Grey — B.J. Conner

Laurel Marsh, orphaned at the age of four, spent an unhappy life with her aunt, Edna Marsh. As soon as she met Caroline Blissendale Cayman, the young socialite of Crescent Lake, her lonely, pathetic existence finally comes to an abrupt halt with her aunt's murder. Walter Denton, her next-door neighbor, was her only friend until her alliance with Caroline. Laurel takes up residence at Blissendale Hall only to discover that Caroline's notorious stepfather, Evan Grey, a three time widower, has an unexpected effect on her. Laurel's meek mannered life is thrown into turmoil as she discovers the truth about her father and the plot of the man that wishes her dead.