The Million Dollar Bride

Imagine you are a girl from a very poor family in Michigan, in the early 1900s. Imagine your mother is ill, your sister has to look after her and it is up to you to find work to keep them both and pay for mother's medicines.

You have managed to find employment as lady's maid to the very wealthy and spoilt Lucilla Hamilton. You do not like Lucilla, but then you don't have you, you only have to do your best to keep her happy so that you can send money home to your sister.

This is the situation of Teresa and she is happy to live from day to day, good food and a roof over her head and all she has to do is look after Lucilla's needs, keep her clothes mended and pressed, make sure her accessories are always ready and waiting when she needs them, and put up with her tantrums.

But Lucilla's father is a millionaire and her mother wants a title for their eldest daughter. They have been to England and met an earl who is hard up and needs money. For a massive dowry of a million dollars, he is prepared to marry Lucilla and make her his countess.

But Lucilla has other ideas. She imagines herself in love with a store clerk who works at Macey's and she comes up with a plan. The Earl has never laid eyes on her and Teresa resembles her superficially, certainly enough to fool him from the photograph he has seen.

She exerts pressure of Teresa to take her place. If she does not do as Lucilla wants, she will be out of work with no references and no chance of employment or money to assist her family. She is even prepared to accuse Teresa of the theft of a diamond bracelet.

What choice does Teresa have but to do as Lucilla wants and take her place as the bride of the Earl.

Things are not as simple as Lucilla seems to think. Teresa grows fond of Earl's young daughter and she grows more than fond of the Earl himself. She hates lying to him and she does not even know if she is legally married.