Brushstrokes Trilogy – serie

When he met the beautiful, eloquent and aristocractic Marie, it was love at first sight. Even then, he had no idea how much his life was about to change. Their shared interest in art and their love of nature bonded them closely...ultimately creating an existence for Charles that he would never have dreamed possible. Follow the couple's relationship, from their first meeting and Marie's somewhat unwelcome rise to stardom as a result of their attendance as guests of honour at Napoleon III's Arts' Ball along with Manet, Courbet, Renoir and Degas.

Darkness Falls is the second book in the `Brushstrokes' trilogy, which sees Charles and Marie go from the joy of their daughter's birth, to despair during the Franco-Prussian war. A desperate story of survival, honour and allegiance. Will love prevail?Charles takes his wife and their young daughter to Lille, to be near to his family, unwittingly placing her in greater danger as the Prussian army enters France via Belgium - a decision that will haunt him forever. Alongside fearing for his loved ones' safety, Charles must devise a plan to protect Paris' great works of art, alongside Manet, Courbet and Monet.When Marie and her daughter are captured by a German officer, she is forced to play a dangerous game to keep him at bay, unsure as to whether Charles is dead or alive. Her brother Henri, meanwhile, is chosen by Napoleon III to accompany him as a prisoner to Versailles.