Her parents warned Elizabeth that Alexander Blackwell would not make a dependable husband, and only after eloping with him did she learn they may have been right . . .

After their marriage, the couple finds lodgings in London. Alexander looks for work while Elizabeth learns engraving. Before long, though, Alexander is in the Marshalsea, the notorious debtors' prison, and she is left to fend for herself.

Alone and penniless, she has a few things going for her: a skill, an idea, and an acquaintance. Elizabeth embarks on a quest that earns her a small fortune and may allow her to buy her husband's freedom. It seems like she may live happily ever after. But her extraordinary story isn't over yet . . .

Praise for Pamela Holmes

"A genuinely original, utterly enchanting story." --A. N. Wilson, author of Victoria: A Life

"[A] lyrical novel that skillfully represents the constraints placed on middle-class women of the era." --Historical Novel Society