SOLVED. Historical romance 1900s, woman given an incorrect terminal diagnosis convinces gruff man into a relationship. [s]

[Jennifer]

I read this around 1990. A plain unassuming woman is told she only has months to live, and convinces a gruff, very curt man who lives in the country to either marry her or take her in. There is an outdoor spring or stream where they bathe and he has a very unique, I think expensive kind of soap.

She finds out she isn't dying and there's a line like.. don't tell him, let him believe his love has made you well.

I'm not sure what time in history this was set....my guess is that it was set around 1910-1930.

Thanks be to any who remember!

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Duplicate thread deleted.

[Sycorax]

The Blue Castle by L M Montgomery, perhaps?

[Sue]

The Ladies of Missalonghi by Collen McCullough. I always felt the author got the idea from The Blue Castle.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lad...

[Jennifer]

Thanks for deleting the 2nd, it kept telling me it had errored and didn't post.

[Jennifer]

It doesn't quite fit with Blue Castle or the Ladies of Missalonghi, as this book seemed to have much less in the way of plot twists. But it was 30 years ago!

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Deleting your duplicate thread from 20 minutes ago.....

[Jennifer]

yes....it doesn't send any notifications to me. I found my original post that errored did go through. Right after I made a new one of course. But it didn't give me any option to delete it out. Sorry, and thank you for deleting it.

[Sue]

The line about letting him think his love made her well is definitely from Ladies Of Missalonghi though. If she wore a scarlet lace dress to get married in, it's your book!

[Jennifer]

Sue wrote: "The line about letting him think his love made her well is definitely from Ladies Of Missalonghi though. If she wore a scarlet lace dress to get married in, it's your book!"

I sent a picture of the cover to the family friend whose house I read it all those years ago, and she confirmed that as the book! She couldn't remember it either. Well done, gold star in bookfinding! I ordered a copy, and welcome the ensuing nostalgia!!

[Kris]

Glad you found your book, Jennifer. Here's the link for Sue's find - The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough.