A Wife’s Duty

The week Helen becomes a bride, Ferdinand De Walden—the man she loves—leaves England, carrying with him the truth she must never tell him. Her husband, Seymour, meanwhile, dreams of a life where the country house is enough and the world can be shut out.

In early nineteenth-century England, Helen’s first years of marriage begin in affection and apparent harmony. But she knows Seymour is made for society, while she tries to reconcile her own wishes with his, her mother’s expectations, and the duty she believes a wife owes. As London’s entertainments beckon and Seymour’s contentment at home begins to waver, Helen wonders whether honesty can preserve their closeness—or quietly cost her the influence she has over him. How long can she keep their happiness untouched by the world beyond their door?

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