An English governess marries a complete stranger while he is on his deathbed. After he dies, she inherits his estate but is soon involved with some French spies working for Napoleon. At the same time, she finds herself attracted to her late husband's cousin.—Steve Crook <[email protected]>

Elinor, an impoverished, formerly wealthy and privileged member of the upper class, arrives at the wrong manor where she thought she would become a governess. She is almost immediately whisked away by Lord Carlyon, cousin of the owner, to an inn where the real owner (his cousin) is dying after being stabbed by Carlyon's brother Nick. He convinces Elinor to marry the dying cousin to save Nick from hanging. Upon inheriting the house, she discovers her dead husband had been utilizing his estate as the base for smuggling in French goods and supplying government information to Napoleon.—tesab