The Black Candle - Catherine Cookson

The book tells the story of Bridget Dean Mordaunt, the only child of a wealthy businessman who takes over the running of his empire after his death. She is guardian to her vacuous cousin, Victoria, who falls in love with Lionel Filmore, the eldest son of an old and apparently distinguished family whose name hides a legacy of bad debts and debauchery. Bridget sees through Lionel at once but out of love for her cousin, she effectively pays Lionel to marry her. What she does not know is that Lionel has secretly fathered the illegitimate child of a young woman, Lily Whitmore who works in her ... more