The Younger Sister: A Novel, Volumes 1-3

The Reverend Watson has retreated into grief and inertia after losing his wife, leaving his three daughters to navigate the cruel arithmetic of Victorian society: diminished prospects, fragile reputations, and the desperate calculus of marriage. Emma, the youngest, finds unexpected refuge with her wealthy uncle, but refuge is not the same as peace. As she prepares for her first ball, she must balance gratitude toward her benefactor against the whisper that she has traded family for comfort, and weigh genuine affection against the social calculations that determine a woman's entire future. This is a novel about what happens when the structures that hold a family together collapse, and each daughter must find her own way through the wreckage.