The Mistress

On the eve of the Great Chicago Fire, Kathleen O'Leary, a penniless maid, attends a lavish ball disguised as an heiress. There she attracts Dylan Francis Kennedy, a wealthy and seemingly eligible gentleman, and the two become drawn to one another. When fire sweeps through Chicago, they impulsively marry, but survival brings new complications as both conceal secrets about their true identities. The novel is a historical romance set against the 1871 Chicago fire.

by Susan Wiggs

MIRA · First published 2000 · 400 pages