The Belton Estate

When Clara Amedroz' brother gambles away the family fortune and then commits suicide, Clara is faced with the prospect of being penniless when her father dies. The new heir to the estate is a distant cousin, Will Belton, a wealthy farmer from Norfolk. Will wishes to marry Clara but she is torn between Will, who her head tells her is the far better man, and Captain Aylmer, the local MP, with whom she is in love. She becomes engaged to Captain Aylmer but soon realises that he is cold and passionless and she breaks off her engagement. Will still wishes to marry Clara but she is stubborn and too proud to admit to him that she had made a mistake. It takes the actions of a friend and Will's sister to bring her to her senses. The main theme of the book is the predicament that faced Victorian women who were not rich enough to be independent or to attract a wealthy husband.