When romantic young Isabel Sleaford marries the kind but prosaic Dr. George Gilbert, she believes she has escaped a dull future. Instead, she finds herself trapped in a quiet English village, surrounded by gossip and routine. Her only escape is the French novels she devours, which fill her head with fantasies of passion and adventure. Then she meets Roland Lansdown, a handsome poet who seems to offer everything her marriage lacks—and Isabel risks everything for a taste of the love she has read about. Faithfully adapted from Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s 1864 classic, this retelling brings the story to life in vivid, natural English without losing the novel’s original heart. Here is a timeless tale of longing, folly, and the cost of dreams. Part of Timeless Classics.