What do you think?
Rate this book
The Lady in Gray
The Art of Love
Lady Sylvia Sutherland was a young woman of many talents--and painting was her passion. Many were the days she would carry her easel and paintbox to the Cornish cliffs, trying to capture the windblown beauties of nature on her canvas. Then one day, the unthinkable happened. A man--as arrogant and mocking as the smirk on his face--ordered Lady Sylvia off the estate!
It was none other than Nicholas Morley, the Earl of Longueville. Sylvia had heard all the rumors about his tragic past. Being scorned by society herself, she was no stranger to cruel gossip. Perhaps they had something in common-- and yet Sylvia couldn't believe her ears when the handsome earl asked her to paint his portrait! The devilish gleam in his eyes made her wonder if he wanted something more. The proposition seemed downright scandalous. Especially when the arrangement demanded hours of close intimacy, staring into each other's eyes--and learning the secret longings hidden deep within their hearts....
Lady Sylvia Sutherland was a young woman of many talents--and painting was her passion. Many were the days she would carry her easel and paintbox to the Cornish cliffs, trying to capture the windblown beauties of nature on her canvas. Then one day, the unthinkable happened. A man--as arrogant and mocking as the smirk on his face--ordered Lady Sylvia off the estate!
It was none other than Nicholas Morley, the Earl of Longueville. Sylvia had heard all the rumors about his tragic past. Being scorned by society herself, she was no stranger to cruel gossip. Perhaps they had something in common-- and yet Sylvia couldn't believe her ears when the handsome earl asked her to paint his portrait! The devilish gleam in his eyes made her wonder if he wanted something more. The proposition seemed downright scandalous. Especially when the arrangement demanded hours of close intimacy, staring into each other's eyes--and learning the secret longings hidden deep within their hearts....
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
35 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Oliver
25 books16 followersPatricia Oliver is a pen name of Patricia De La Fuente. Between 1993 and 2002 she wrote for the Signet Regency Romance imprint and for Jove under her other pseudonym Olivia Fontayne.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 10, 2019
This moderately gothic book is an odd one to swallow.
Some bits put me off as did the flashbacks to the H’s marriage. But the mystery and suspense, which although easy to work out, keep one hooked and piqued enough to turn the page. Romance takes somewhat of a back seat.
*With spoilers* The H is okay but did not endear himself to me because of his occasional immature and impatient behaviour. It’s 10 years since he’s been widowed - after a most dysfunctional marriage - but the wife’s shadow still lurks eerily. The frequent flashbacks, from 1814 to (the unpleasant) 1804, are unsettling when all I wanted was more on the h/H build-up. To his credit, he’s not mooning over the dead wife. The scales were ripped off his eyes a long time ago.
After initial plans of offering carte blanche to the h, he develops feelings/intentions of a more durable kind but contrarily, without a credible buildup, this quick about turn seems unconvincing. Also, I felt he should have been more distrustful of women, in general and the h, in particular. She’s a ‘ruined/scarlet’ woman for all intents and how could he not have doubts about her cuckolding him too in the future? That’s pop psychology for you!
The h is an artist living with her bohemian aunt on the Cornish coast. She was ruined at 17 (same year - 1804!) by an unscrupulous man who dumped her after few days of a fake marriage. She tries to curtail her naturally voluptuous and romantic nature under the strictures put on her (by herself as well) as she’s living on the edge of societal approval. Forsaken by London, she tries to abide by the local standards of conduct. So while she has decided to never take up with a man,* I liked her summing up the physical attractiveness of the men she meets. That may be the artist in her!
And she’s definitely fey/psychic as she can sense past events and atmospheres.
But her overly sweet and non-confrontational approach at times, is exasperating.
The villains are dramatically evil and deviant. Things that are suggested made me ickily uncomfortable. I pitied the H not only for undergoing what he did but also for being unjustly judged by the locals. Some like the bookshop owner and the vicar’s wife are staunchly in the villains’ camp.
Minor cribbing
*Although why she doesn’t (take lovers) is illogical. She comes from a family where generations of women have followed their hearts and painted the little Cornish village red and the locals have accepted them - not London - but here it’s all well taken. But curiously, the h is seen with disapproval when she’s the only Sutherland female behaving decorously. By all rights, after ten years, she should have followed in her aunt’s footsteps and taken a lover!
The villain is a psychopath, no doubt but his sudden spiral into hallucinatory psychosis is absurd.
And can the cousin be the H's heir and vice versa? He’s a Farnaby (from the mother’s side?) while the H’s a Morley.
All in all, I liked the book. Quite.
3.65*
Some bits put me off as did the flashbacks to the H’s marriage. But the mystery and suspense, which although easy to work out, keep one hooked and piqued enough to turn the page. Romance takes somewhat of a back seat.
*With spoilers* The H is okay but did not endear himself to me because of his occasional immature and impatient behaviour. It’s 10 years since he’s been widowed - after a most dysfunctional marriage - but the wife’s shadow still lurks eerily. The frequent flashbacks, from 1814 to (the unpleasant) 1804, are unsettling when all I wanted was more on the h/H build-up. To his credit, he’s not mooning over the dead wife. The scales were ripped off his eyes a long time ago.
After initial plans of offering carte blanche to the h, he develops feelings/intentions of a more durable kind but contrarily, without a credible buildup, this quick about turn seems unconvincing. Also, I felt he should have been more distrustful of women, in general and the h, in particular. She’s a ‘ruined/scarlet’ woman for all intents and how could he not have doubts about her cuckolding him too in the future? That’s pop psychology for you!
The h is an artist living with her bohemian aunt on the Cornish coast. She was ruined at 17 (same year - 1804!) by an unscrupulous man who dumped her after few days of a fake marriage. She tries to curtail her naturally voluptuous and romantic nature under the strictures put on her (by herself as well) as she’s living on the edge of societal approval. Forsaken by London, she tries to abide by the local standards of conduct. So while she has decided to never take up with a man,* I liked her summing up the physical attractiveness of the men she meets. That may be the artist in her!
And she’s definitely fey/psychic as she can sense past events and atmospheres.
But her overly sweet and non-confrontational approach at times, is exasperating.
The villains are dramatically evil and deviant. Things that are suggested made me ickily uncomfortable. I pitied the H not only for undergoing what he did but also for being unjustly judged by the locals. Some like the bookshop owner and the vicar’s wife are staunchly in the villains’ camp.
Minor cribbing
*Although why she doesn’t (take lovers) is illogical. She comes from a family where generations of women have followed their hearts and painted the little Cornish village red and the locals have accepted them - not London - but here it’s all well taken. But curiously, the h is seen with disapproval when she’s the only Sutherland female behaving decorously. By all rights, after ten years, she should have followed in her aunt’s footsteps and taken a lover!
The villain is a psychopath, no doubt but his sudden spiral into hallucinatory psychosis is absurd.
And can the cousin be the H's heir and vice versa? He’s a Farnaby (from the mother’s side?) while the H’s a Morley.
All in all, I liked the book. Quite.
3.65*
June 14, 2025
Possibly my favourite from this author, mainly because I like Sylvia & Marguerite so much. Sylvia was banished to her Aunt in Cornwall after a youthful indiscretion - it's always the woman's fault, of course. Sylvia remains surprisingly prudish in the face of her aunt's "Bohemian" (before its time) lifestyle, but she is very likeable, & I detest her father without even meeting him. Such was the lot of women in a world where they had no rights at all... sigh! The arrogant Nicholas Morley was no worse than many a Regency hero, & better than some.
May 28, 2023
I recently reread this and lowered my rating. The story and writing are good, not wonderful, and the hero is an arrogant jerk. The story has numerous instances of my beye noire,mistakes in historical dates and timelines for characters that don't add up. The book takes place in 1814 during the war with America, yet the hero is considering inviting an American heiress to meet him. Needed an editor 30 years ago.
June 10, 2023
This book was a treat to read! I loved the gothic feel of it, especially the mystery surrounding the hero's wife's death. Another important point is that the characters sounded English (compared to my previous read, where everyone sounded like modern Americans).
October 23, 2025
Pleasantly surprised, it was a really good read. An original plot with a touch of mystery, great romance and the atmosphere of foggy Cornish clifftops added a gothic element to the story. This is my second book by this author and I will definitely read more…. 📚
August 12, 2019
The beginning of the book is promising and the story telling is nicely written but I got uncomfortable while reading some lines so I couldn't finish it...
December 24, 2014
loved the buildup, disliked the tie-up, felt it was too rushed by making a
pretty competent villain insane. liked the very end, where the hero realizes what the heroine needs
pretty competent villain insane. liked the very end, where the hero realizes what the heroine needs
March 17, 2014
Not too bad of a story. I liked how it jumped between the present "1814" and the events of the past in 1904. I also couldn't believe how much the Earl's first wife, Angelica, sounded like a psychopath.
September 25, 2009
Regency
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews