Seduced and abandoned by the faithless Willoughby, Colonel Brandon's much-loved ward Eliza is sent to give birth in the countryside. But what becomes of her, and her daughter, the young Eliza?
Joan Aiken's sequel to Sense and Sensibility takes up the stories of Elinor and Marianne, but introduces a dashing new heroine who despite being a 'by-blow' and outcast, uses her wits and talents to find her own way in the world. This is a darker side of Regency society where a young girl who cannot marry for money must find a career, and brave the realities of the Napoleonic wars in Portugal.