
In the quiet Devonshire village of Silverton, a young woman from the respectable yet modest Compton family must navigate the tangled legacy of her father’s will. The estate is divided, leaving her sister with a modest inheritance while her mother, driven by pride, resents the split and the future hardships it threatens. As the family prepares for a local fête, the heroine’s gentle wit and quiet determination begin to shape her path amid the social expectations of the era.
Against a backdrop of rural charm and lingering family tensions, she confronts the practical challenges of limited means and the subtle pressures of genteel society. The narrative paints a vivid portrait of early‑19th‑century provincial life, where affection, duty, and the quest for independence intertwine. Listeners will be drawn into her world of heartfelt resilience, awaiting the choices that will define her future.
Language
en
Duration
~5 hours (337K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Delphine Lettau, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2011-06-30
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1780–1863
Best known for her sharp, lively book about the United States, this prolific English writer turned late to fiction and quickly became a major Victorian-era presence. Her work mixed social observation, satire, and a fearless curiosity about how people lived.
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