Claire had no interest in the young men of her set. After a disappointing London season, Claire Oliver returned to her family's country estate, content with her intellectual pursuits and her loving parents. — Until she met the new parish rector. Mr. Bennett was a handsome man of sterling qualities, and she found his company stimulating--not only intellectually, but in ways she had never before experienced. Gone was her contentment. For suddenly the prospect of life without Mr. Bennett was unendurable to her, yet marriage to a penniless parson was unthinkable. As the weeks went by, her unhappiness grew, especially as she watched Lydia, her "poor relation," being pushed in Mr. Bennett's direction, and the odious Lord Babcock, son of a local earl, being pushed in her own.