| The young dowager Duchess of Belfort, Clarissa Harcourt, escapes the unwanted attentions of her late husband's odious heir by fleeing to Yorkshire and settling on a farm under an assumed name. The new Duke has done everything in his power to destroy her reputation and get her to become his mistress. She will not come into her inheritance until she has been a widow for 18 months, and until then she intends to live quietly and unobtrusively.
She rescues the daughter of a neighbour from dying of exposure and is subsequently persuaded to act as the girl's teacher until a governess can be hired. At first, she and the girl's father, Sir Jeremy Sutcliffe, do not get along, but they slowly begin to fall in love. At the eve of their announcing their engagement, the Duke arrives, intending to kidnap Clarissa, but is prevented by Jeremy. However, when Jeremy discovers Clarissa's real identity and she finds out the terrible secret he has been hiding about his first wife, they end the engagement. Clarissa comes into her inheritance and starts planning a Grand Tour of Europe, but at the last moment Jeremy catches up with her. All that now stands in their way of happiness is her pride. | ||
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Plot & Themes Time/era of story Action/suspense subplot? Yes Action: Hidden Identity/Secret Motive Yes Is really... - rich/upper class Main Male Character Profession/status: Age/status: - 20's-30's Main Female Character - 20's-30's Profession/status: Setting Europe Yes European country: - England/UK Farm/Ranch? Yes Farm/Ranch: - farm Misc setting - Fancy Mansion Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment What % of story is romance related? - 80% Weird Victorian/Shakespearean English? Yes Focus of story - equally on him and her How much dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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