The widowed Charlotte Collins, bereft widow of Mr. Collins of Pride and Prejudice infamy, is starting to think that being a dowager suits her quite well. Freshly enchanted with Angelo Ossoli, an Italian professor who found friends among the culture-hungry residents of Hertfordshire, Charlotte is starting to weigh the benefits of possibly re-marrying. When she was young and had no prospects (including being told by everyone around her that she was “plain”), she’d married Mr. Collins as a way to escape her parents’ home—and it certainly hadn’t been a marriage built on love. Charlotte’s newfound independence as mistress of Longbourn estate, however, has given her the independence she always craved, but now she wonders if she has room in her newly independent heart for true love. When Angelo offers his home and company for a stay in Florence, Charlotte must consider whether she is willing to completely reshape her life around her Florentine love. And when Angelo begins to reveal some secrets about his family lineage, Charlotte must also consider whether an English country lady could ever find a home in the Italian aristocracy.