A Portrait of Scandal

Synopsis – A Portrait of Scandal (Canvas & Crown, Book Two) Now Duchess of Blackbourne, Josephine Hawthorne faces a world more perilous than any studio—where power and perception are painted in far bolder strokes than oils and ink. In the wake of her shocking tribunal testimony and the exposure of the late Viscount Carridan's sins, Josephine finds herself thrust into the center of public fascination and political fire. While her art earns critical acclaim, her presence as a commoner-turned-duchess unsettles the social order. Even her marriage to Alexander, the Duke of Blackbourne, remains under scrutiny—its legitimacy challenged by bitter peers with much to lose. But Josephine refuses to fade. When a mysterious letter leads her to a hidden collection of sketches by Julian Hawthorne, she uncovers a deeper, more human portrait of the brother-in-law she once feared. Her decision to paint him—truthfully, compassionately—sparks a new wave of controversy, placing her once more at the center of scandal, this time of her own making. As political enemies push for a law that would threaten the very future of any heirs born from their union, Josephine and Alexander stand together on the Parliament floor, not as peer and wife, but as equals in battle. Their victory is hard-won—and the cost, high. When an unexpected summons arrives from the Queen herself, Josephine is asked to do the unthinkable: paint the Crown. But she agrees—on her terms. The result is a portrait that shocks the court, awakens the public, and cements Josephine's place not only in the halls of nobility but in the annals of art history. With her work finally seen not just as scandal, but as truth, Josephine's final piece—a triptych titled Canvas & Crown—stands as a declaration of everything she has become: artist, duchess, muse, and firebrand. But even with peace returning, the story is far from over. Because love this bold never stays quiet for long.