When the most eligible Earl of Rule offers for the hand of the beauty of the Winwood family, he has no notion of the distress he causes his intended. For Miss Lizzie Winwood is promised to the excellent, but impoverished, Mr Edward Heron. Disaster can only be averted by the delightful impetuosity of her youngest sister, Horatia, who conceives her own, distinctly original plans . . .

Born in 1902, Georgette Heyer was a highly private writer, never giving interviews or making public appearances. She was married in 1925 and had one son. She died in 1974.

Caroline Hunt spent two seasons with the RSC, and has performed in many theatres throughout Britain and Ireland, including the National Theatre and the Gate Theatre, Dublin. At the Bristol Old Vic she has appeared in The Duchess of Malfi, while her film and television appearances include Howards End, All's Well That Ends Well, Casualty, Love Story, Fahrenheit 451 and Remains of the Day.