April's Lady A Novel

The story is set in 1813. Helen (Nell) Irvine, daughter of the late Viscount Pevensey, has recently been married at the age of 18 to the significantly older Giles Merrion, Earl of Cardross, and has thus rescued her family from the impoverishment brought about by her father's gambling debts and then her brother’s irregular lifestyle. It had really been a love match on both sides, but owing to the stupidity of her mother's advice, Nell has hidden her feelings from him. An added complication is that Cardross has formerly had Lady Orsett as a mistress, a matter which neither feels able to discuss with the other.

Both have incorrigible siblings who complicate their relations. Nell's brother Dysart is a drunken gambler whose wild behaviour places him on the shady side of the law. Nell has secretly lent him more money than was wise and now has difficulty in meeting her own exorbitant expenditure. Also in her household is her husband's half-sister Letitia (Letty), an undisciplined brat utterly spoilt by an over-indulgent upbringing. She has fallen in love with the upright Jeremy Allandale, an aspiring diplomat who is soon to take up a position at the exiled Portuguese court in Brazil. The match has been forbidden by Cardross until Letty is older. She makes Nell her confidant and her extravagant emotions and plans to elope make family life highly uncomfortable.