Audiobook Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 452

Frances Seymour, an orphaned and wealthy heiress raised by a worldly aunt, enters high society with a firm resolve to enjoy her independence and avoid a marriage pre-arranged by her late father. That paternal wish dictated she should wed Major Henry Elliott, an impoverished officer whose father had been her father's dearest friend. Though determined to dislike this unseen suitor, Frances finds herself unexpectedly drawn into a web of deceit during a country visit. To escape the unwelcome attentions of a superficial young officer named Vincent Dunbar, Frances invents an existing betrothal to a mystery man.

Later, staying with friends, she takes the mischievous liberty of hiding her true identity from an arriving guest who turns out to be Major Elliott himself. Believing her to be his host's niece, Elliott falls deeply in love with her, and she reciprocates his affection before she ever reveals who she actually is. Meanwhile, Vincent Dunbar unwittingly complicates matters by blundering into an acquaintance with Major Elliott, showing him love-tokens from Frances and revealing her identity to him. When Major Elliott learns of the elaborate deception and the apparent duplicity surrounding her affections, his sense of honor is deeply wounded. Despite subsequent attempts to untangle the misunderstanding, his pride and her despair close the door on reconciliation, leaving both to carry the quiet sorrow of a happiness lost through foolish secrecy.