When eighteen-year-old Lucilla Marjoribanks returns to the quiet town of Carlingford after finishing her education, she has one clear goal: to become its undisputed social leader. With her father’s house as her stage and his dinner parties as her opening act, this brilliantly self-assured young woman sets about transforming polite society according to her own designs. She navigates rival hostesses, manages eligible suitors with careful calculation, and orchestrates the lives of those around her with unfailing confidence. But even Lucilla cannot plan for everything – especially the unpredictable matters of the heart. Margaret Oliphant’s beloved novel, faithfully retold in fresh, contemporary English, follows the rise of one of Victorian fiction’s most unforgettable heroines: clever, determined, and never wrong. Part of Timeless Classics.