To a Wild Rose

Hyacinth Roote is the youngest of six daughters and, according to her mother, the one whom it will be hardest to marry well. Instead of an acceptable Society wife to a wealthy man Hyacinth wants to become a professional artist. In despair her mother takes her to the summer garden tour of her relative, the august and much feared Countess of Edensmarsh. Though she finds the 'marriage mart' prospect of the house party unattractive Hyacinth does look forward to sketching the gardens - until she meets Vere, a lowly gardener and the most handsome, desirable man she has ever met. Unfortunately, Sir Nugent Gilbreath - a London style leader with £8,000 a year and a very bad reputation - pays marked attention to Hyacinth, a situation which dismays Hyacinth and sends her mother over the moon with dreams of a quick wedding. Between mistaken identity, jealousy and the thorny circumstance of a missing duke Hyacinth despairs of things ever going right, but thanks to a ball and a bit of summer magic, things turn out better than she could have expected.