Orphan Anna's life is changed for the better when she inherits an estate from her maternal uncle. Kind and intelligent, Anna decides to pass on some of her wealth by setting up a home for twelve women who have been mistreated throughout their life. These twelve women will be freed from financial worries, and will therefore not need to marry. Instead, they will be able to live in a place of natural beauty, forming a group of friends. Her goal is to make the women happy but achieving that may be harder than imagined... 'The Benefactress' by Elizabeth von Arnim is a humorous historical fiction classic that will be enjoyed by fans of 'Great Expectations'.