Esther Markstrom and her artist mother have always been proud of their ancestor, painter Francisco Vella.
This dual-timeline story from award-winning author Erin Bartels takes readers from the sleepy Midwest to the sultry Mediterranean on a relentless search for truth, identity, and the freedom to follow one\'s dreams..
Along the way she will discover that the many parts she has been playing in order to hide her identity have far-reaching implications she never could have foreseen.
When her past catches up to her, she is compelled to pose as Vella\'s sister and join him on his travels or be deported back to Spain to stand trial.
It is in his studio that she meets Francisco Vella, a Gibraltarian merchant who sells artists\' pigments.
In 1879, Catalan orphan-turned-fugitive Viviana Torrens has found sanctuary serving in the home of an aging artist in Southern France.
But when Esther reconnects with her former art history professor, she finds her once-solid family history on shaky ground as questions arise about Vella\'s greatest work--a portrait entitled The Lady with the Dark Hair .
They even run a small museum and gallery dedicated to raising awareness of his scandalously underappreciated work.
Esther Markstrom and her artist mother have always been proud of their ancestor, painter Francisco Vella
