Her Season in Bath: A Story of Bygone Days

Bath, 1779. The city pulses with the season's first balls, and every young lady of note is dancing toward marriage or ruin. Into this glittering world steps Griselda Mainwaring, an orphaned dependent with a secret: her beloved violin, tucked away in its case, represents everything society says she should not want. Her guardian, the vivacious Lady Betty Longueville, glitters through the assemblies with ease, but Griselda finds herself haunting the margins, longing for something the strictures of her position will not permit her to name. As the season unfolds against a backdrop of fashion, music, and social maneuvering, Griselda must decide whether to silence her own desires entirely or risk everything for a chance at selfhood. Marshall paints a nuanced portrait of a young woman caught between the person she must appear to be and the person she truly is, offering readers a quiet meditation on aspiration, dependence, and the high cost of belonging.