Pleasure

Shadows of Longing

In Pleasure, Margaret Leroy weaves a tale of nuanced desire and hidden yearnings set against the genteel backdrop of coastal Cornwall. Caroline Winslow, a reserved art gallery curator, finds her carefully ordered life upended when a stunning oil painting arrives anonymously at her gallery’s doorstep. The portrait’s subject—a woman draped in silken fabrics, eyes alight with forbidden promise—mirrors the dormant passion Caroline has long suppressed. As the summer tides rise, so too does her fascination, leading her to question the boundaries between duty and temptation, propriety and abandon.

Crossing Forbidden Lines

Drawn into a labyrinth of desire, Caroline encounters James Sedgwick, a charismatic sculptor whose reputation for scandal precedes him. Their first meeting—charged with subtle electricity—awakens sensations Caroline thought she had left behind in her youth. Over private viewings, late-night studio visits, and moonlit strolls along windswept cliffs, the pair navigate an intoxicating dance of attraction and restraint. Margaret Leroy’s graceful prose captures the tension of stolen glances and whispered confessions, as Caroline grapples with the echoes of past heartbreak and the perilous allure of a love that risks everything she knows.

Redemption in Surrender

As secrets unravel and loyalties are tested, Caroline must decide whether to remain within the safety of her carefully constructed world or surrender to the possibility of true intimacy—even if it means shattering her own defenses. The climax unfolds in the gallery’s grand conservatory, where the anonymous portrait is revealed to conceal a revelation that binds artist and curator in an irrevocable pact. Leroy masterfully balances emotional depth and sensual atmosphere, reminding readers that true pleasure can stem as much from vulnerability as from ecstasy.

Final Brushstroke

Pleasure is a richly layered exploration of the human heart’s most clandestine impulses—a story of art, attraction, and the courage required to embrace the fullness of one’s desires. Margaret Leroy’s 1993 HarperCollins Publishers edition stands as a testament to the transformative power of love and the beauty found in surrendering to the moment. Author’s description.