The story of three closely-related Oxfordshire communities -- a hamlet, a village, and a town -- and the memorable cast of characters who people them. Based on Thompson's own experiences as a child and young woman, it is keenly observed and beautifully narrated, quiet and evocative.

"As soon as Colonel Gavin Romney has healed, he'll return to war and see Bonaparte vanquished forever. Yet his children's governess is proving a formidable adversary on the home front. For pretty, determined Hannah Fletcher wants the earl to fulfill the one role he's sure is beyond him: loving parent. Hannah can't bear to see her three motherless charges lose their father, too. When Gavin impulsively offers a marriage of convenience for the children's...