Boston seems like the perfect place for Drusilla Fortesque to find refuge after the man she is secretly in love with—Captain Jack Hatton—proposes a quickie marriage in a most offhanded, insulting fashion. She refuses him, and they part in bitterness, Jack to Russia and Drusilla back to the doldrums of Bath. So is it any wonder that she accepts an invitation to a new world. Drusilla finds her new friends and acquaintances in Boston society as fascinating—and eccentric—as those she left behind in England. There is her Aunt Camellia, a Baltimore Belle, who threw fortune and security away to marry Drusilla’s black sheep Uncle Derrick. Aunt Camellia is clear about what matters in life: fashion, jewelry, and marriage to a gentleman of wealth. Uncle Derrick understands this and has built a shipping fleet to keep his beautiful wife in the luxuries to which she is accustomed. But how on earth did this worldly-wise couple produce naïve, idealistic Ivy? Ivy is a rare beauty, but she seems determined to attach herself to Ellsworth Corring, a head-in-the-clouds philosopher. Aunt Camellia is determined that Ivy will not waste herself on such an unworthy specimen.
On a chilly spring morning, Drusilla encounters Sir Clive Brampton, a rich, enigmatic fellow Englishman. When he strikes up an acquaintance with Drusilla, Aunt Camellia is hopeful that her almost-on-the-shelf niece might be destined for an advantageous match. But Drusilla is doubtful. Meanwhile, the prospects of Boston’s wealthiest heiresses, Beryl Corring and Susan Jones, are the subject of speculation. What are Benjamin Thornton’s real intentions? Will the taciturn ship designer, Douglas Robertson, rid himself of the chip on his shoulder and pursue the lady he worships? Is Annette Ware really all that absorbed in higher thought, or has she set her cap for Ellsworth Corring?
Drusilla believes her life to be on course, until Jack Hatton suddenly appears in Boston, making a charming impression on the ladies and complicating Drusilla’s thoughts. Did he really come to Boston to gain knowledge of shipping and commerce? Or is he out to seek the fortune of an American heiress? When he asks Drusilla’s help in completing the real mission that brought him to Boston, things become a bit . . . tangled. Using her social connections, Drusilla makes discoveries that help Jack complete his assignment, and bring them closer to each other. But Drusilla has conflicted loyalties, and Jack appears to be ready to propose to the most sought after beauty in Boston. Will Drusilla spend her days as the wife of a man she does not love? Will she have return to a stultifying life in Bath? Or dare she hope for chance of happiness with Jack Hatton? Anything is possible in a new world!
