Would a potential suitor be bolder if he were told the object of his desire had only six months to live?

Sweet, pretty Thea Brightwell's dull, quiet life with her crotchety aunt is about to be turned upside down by a visit to Bath and a chance encounter with handsome Mr Grayling.

However, the fledgeling affair is quickly nipped in the bud by Thea's aunt who has no intention of losing her unpaid nurse and companion, while Mr Grayling regretfully acknowledges he needs to marry an heiress to restore his family's crumbling fortunes.

Unbeknownst to penniless Thea, she has an unlikely champion in her well-meaning but 'not-too-bright' Cousin Bertram who has decided to play matchmaker.

If the lack of a dowry is the only impediment to Mr Grayling making an offer of marriage, Bertram reasons the gentleman would play a riskier hand if he were told that the damsel he covets were destined for her deathbed within six months?

Crotchety maiden aunts, love letters gone astray, and 'old flames' appearing from the woodwork lead to a most disconcerting outcome!