Publication date 9/10/18.LADY OF A THOUSAND TREASURES by SANDRA BYRD is a historical romance novel which takes place in England in 1866.
We meet our heroine, Eleanor Sheffield, at Lord Lydney's funeral at Watchfield House. Lord Lydney has given Eleanor, whose family business has been employed by him for many years in the curatorship and valuation of his treasures, to decide whether his son, Harry, is honorable and worthy of inheriting them, or whether the whole collection should be given to the South Kensington museum where it could be admired by many. In fact a donation to the museum would not only impress the members of the Burlington Fine Arts Club, but it would more than likely encourage more commissions from rich collectors for Sheffield Brothers, which had fallen on hard times.
Lord Lydney did not think much of Harry, whereas his deceased son Arthur had been his favourite. Eleanor has been disappointed in Harry, who went away for six months without any explanation, especially when she thought he was going to propose, but she is determined to make an honest decision.
At her father's death and her uncle's slow fall into dementia, Sheffield Brothers is run by Eleanor, who is an expert valuator and restorer in her own right, and Mr Clarkson who works with her.
I love the description of life at that time and also the comparison between worldly treasures and a person's worth to God and to others. The Christian message is firmly woven into the story, which is full of intrigue and well worth reading. I see that some of the characters are based on real people living at the time, and that almost all the items mentioned are real pieces.
As we see that some of the treasures that Eleanor is asked to evaluate are discovered to be fraudulent, we are reminded of the importance of integrity in our lives and actions. We also see that some people's pride will not allow them to admit that they have been duped into buying a reproduction! They feel their reputation is at stake!
I can highly recommend this book and will definitely be reading it more than once.
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