Celia:
Celia Mardham’s first London Season should have been a great success, but a near fatal riding accident has left her with a pronounced limp which means she cannot even curtsy, let alone dance.Her mother, Lady Mardham, makes one last effort to save her daughter from a life of spinsterhood. She draws up a list of guests for a country house party, selecting an array of potential suitors as well as young ladies who will not be rivals, or so she thinks.

Isabelle:
Isabelle Wareham, whilst caring for her beloved widowed father, has not seen much of the world. After his death, Isabelle finds she is no longer her own mistress but under the guardianship of her unscrupulous brother-in-law, Lord Dunsfold, who sees her as a way to improve his own fortunes.The outlook looks bleak until events throw Isabelle and the impoverished Earl of Idsworth together.

The Chaperone:
Sophy Hadlow does not want to return for another London Season. Her own debut into Society was marred by self-consciousness and her cringing embarrassment every time she was announced as ‘The Lady Sophronia Hadlow’. Yet, much to her dismay, Sophy is back in London to oversee the debut of her younger sister and their wild cousin, Susan Tyneham, who risks ruining both her own and her innocent cousin’s chances of marriage.