The Love Auction on AllMovie

Virginia Peterson is Lea Montrose, a struggling artist who, even though she still loves her childhood sweetheart, marries Dorian Vanderveer (Hugh Thompson) because he is a wealthy member of society. The only problem is that Vanderveer is a nasty drunk. His behavior causes Lea to seek out her ex-sweetheart once again. When she has a baby, Vanderveer vows to straighten up for the child's sake. But the baby is not his, a fact known by Dr. Charters, a blackmailing quack (Thurlow Bergen). Eventually Dr. Charters tells Vanderveer the truth and, shattered, he returns to the bottle. In the end, he kills Charters and commits suicide, so Lea, her lover, and their baby are free to be together. Fox often cast Virginia Pearson in vamp roles to keep their star, Theda Bara, in line.