Cords of Blood, Chords of Love

Following her father's death, Sara Ferris and her beautiful, flighty mother, Celia, head to Regency Harrogate to take refuge with Celia's wealthy sister and her boorish husband. At first all seems to be going well. Celia basks in the admiration of the newly-fashionable spa town. Sara, assigned to the task of educating her young cousins, strikes up a comradeship with her uncle's clerk, Josiah, which quickly blossoms into love.
But the storm clouds are brewing. Celia has other ideas about how Sara ought to bestow her favours. So does Uncle Isaac, preferring himself - although, as it turns out, he isn't fussy about whose favours he takes. Celia's search for a replacement husband goes terribly awry, and the resultant crisis forces Sara and Celia back to London, to live in penury and servitude. In order to find happiness together, Sara and Josiah must travel the length of the country, take on London thugs, crooked lawyers and the prejudices of their age, and unravel the secrets of his family.