The Counterfeit Bride — Vivian Connolly

A peasant girl forced into a fraudulent marriage must deny her dearest love to protect her dearest friend...

The deception had seemed harmless enough. A schoolgirl's prank in which Miranda Testa would masquerade as her foster sister, Amanda, and travel to London to protect Amanda's fortune. In a short time Amanda would come of age, marry the naval officer she loved, and sail to London to reveal her true identity.

But Miranda had not reckoned with her strong attraction to the dashing actor Theo Moreland. Or the lecherous advances of Lord Fortescue. Or the financial conniving of Amanda's guardian.

Suddenly the harmless prank had become a tangled web of terrifying intrigue. Miranda was forced to marry the loathsome lord to save the man she loved. Amanda's fortune had swiftly begun to disappear through Fortescue's hands. Reputations wavered on the verge of ruination. And the masquerade had not yet reached its dangerous, deadly climax....