Set in 1815, this true to period historical romance tells the story of two sisters who are living in penury on an isolated spot on the Essex marshes, following the death of their father. Facing destitution they devise an audacious plan which unexpectedly takes them to the elegant ballrooms of London. The masquerade looks to fail when Lord Stratton returns from the Battle of Waterloo. Falling in love with her nemesis was never Kate's plan but there seems no chance of happiness for the widow who was never a bride.