Romance and scandal abound in this warm and witty tale of the young widow Octavia Darcy, whose attempts to secure her fortune and clear her name lead her through all manner of difficulties.

'I am a woman of independent means, definitely in possession of a good fortune, but I am not in the least in want of a husband!'

So declares Octavia Darcy. Raised as a poor relation, she is sent off to India to be married, only to have her brief happiness as the second wife of Captain Darcy dashed by his early death. But an unexpected legacy leaves her extremely well off and for the first time ever she can decide her own fate.

Suddenly everyone wants to know her and pay court to her. Who can she rely on? Luckily her new-found acquaintance with her Darcy cousins takes her to Netherfield Hall, which has an argumentative but undoubtedly intriguing new tenant...