Bright young things. Jazz and dancing. And two women who were never meant to meet ...

When Patience Carmichael attends a royal ball in a gown she made for herself as a break from her dull life as her stepfamily's servant, she unfortunately finds that the tumult of a roaring '20s party in full swing is a bit much for her and has to duck out to the quiet of the gardens. There she unexpectedly meets a handsome woman who puts her at ease — the first person she's met in years who's treated her kindly. Patience has to run at midnight, but once she gets home, she realizes that that the stranger was the female prince in whose honor the ball was held.

Prince Will, kept from dancing by her bad leg, was terribly bored at the ball. Used to young ladies knowing her and treating her accordingly, she's fascinated with Patience's very strange behavior and bewitched by her. Will sets herself to finding the charming and mysterious girl, tracking her down through the streets of the city and asking her out for tea. A resounding victory!

But merely seeing each other again isn't going to remove all obstacles between Patience and the prince. The two will have to confront what they mean to each other and the limitations they put on themselves in order to find happiness ...

The Happy Secret of It All is a novella of 20,000 words.