When Agnes Headey is washed up by a storm at the gates of the Netherfield estate, her first impression of it is one of faded elegance. When she learns that the Master's sister Lily is not dead as all had presumed, she begins secretly visiting the gentle but troubled woman. Soon Agnes would rather travel the miles to Netherfield than fend off the advances of her suitor, the ardent James Thornton.

Lily Netherfield accepts her imprisonment, for her own good. Her sickness has caused enough grief and loss in her family. But the sound of light laughter, a kind word and a sweet smile brings it all back, and this time Lily does not want to be cured.

With social convention pressuring Agnes to marry for the security of her own future, only unwanted journeys lie ahead, and none of the roads lead to where her heart has finally found a home.

In this richly detailed story of Victorian and Regency England, debut author Elizabeth Hart asks the tantalizing question: What if Jane Eyre had lost her heart not to Rochester, but to the woman in the tower?