She Loves and Lies
Summary
In a narrative of audacious romantic subterfuge, Marie Callender, a woman of discerning affections, finds herself bequeathed a significant inheritance contingent upon her union with the man she truly loves. Her heart, however, has already been claimed by Ernest Lismore, a gentleman teetering on the precipice of financial ruin. Beset by a reticence that precludes a direct proposal, Marie orchestrates an elaborate, multi-layered deception. She first adopts the guise of a considerably aged, affluent benefactress, approaching Ernest with an offer to salvage his solvency through a marriage of convenience, stipulating a pre-nuptial agreement for divorce should his heart ever stray. This initial stratagem merely sets the stage for her subsequent, more intricate masquerade. Transforming herself into the captivating June Dayne, Marie embarks upon a calculated campaign to ensnare Ernest's affections, aiming to cultivate genuine love where only transactional obligation once resided. The psychological gambit proves successful: Ernest, deeply enamored by June, confesses his newfound passion. At this pivotal juncture, Marie sheds her final, intricate veil, revealing that the alluring woman who has captured his devotion is, in fact, his own wife, thereby fulfilling both the terms of the inheritance and the desires of her own heart through a masterful stroke of theatrical manipulation.
Synopsis
When Marie Callender is left a fortune by a wealthy old admirer on the condition that she marry the man she loves, Marie targets Ernest Lismore but is too shy to ask him to marry her. Instead, Marie disguises herself as an elderly woman of considerable wealth and offers to bail Ernest out of his impending bankruptcy in exchange for marriage, with the understanding that if Ernest ever falls in love with another woman she will grant him a divorce. Then Marie disguises herself as June Dayne in order to make her husband fall in love with her. She succeeds, and when Ernest confesses his love for another woman, Marie discards her disguise and Ernest discovers that the woman with whom he is in love is his own wife.
