This is the second book in the Highbury Trilogy, but stands equally well alone.
Thirty years before the commencement of Jane Austen's 'Emma', Highbury is a thriving and populous village. The Bates family has seen a decline in their fortunes. Partly in an attempt to ease their finances and partly in answer to her own thirst for adventure, Jane Bates leaves Highbury to become the companion of the invalid widow Mrs Sealy in Brighton. Life in the new, fashionable seaside resort is exciting indeed. A wide circle of interesting acquaintance and a rich tapestry of new experiences make her new life all Jane had hoped for. While Jane's sister Hetty can be a tiresome conversationalist she proves to be a surprisingly good correspondent and Jane is kept minutely up-to-date with developments in Highbury, particularly the tragic news from Donwell Abbey.When the handsome Lieutenant Weston returns to Brighton Jane expects their attachment to pick up where it left off in Highbury the previous Christmas, but the determined Miss Louisa Churchill, newly arrived with her brother and sister-in-law from Enscombe in Yorkshire, seems to have a different plan in mind.