Orphaned and with little means, Miss Patience Hawthorne cannot say yea or nay on most matters until she reaches her majority. It is a silly goose indeed who would refuse an arranged betrothal to Lord Roger, the second son of the Marquis of Pelgrave! After all, he is one of the most eligible bachelors in Somerset. Patience, at age eight-and-ten, chooses to ignore the rumors her fiancé is on the rebound. After all, she hides a secret love disaster of her own. Not so long ago, a deceitful gentleman played with her affections and proved himself unworthy. After that bitter lesson, she much prefers Lord Roger’s serious and dependable ways. Whilst other young ladies fret over trivial matters, Patience knows life is more than silk cloaks and dancing slippers. She worries instead about making the right impression when she is a guest at a wedding in ancient Bath Abbey church. Amidst making wedding plans, her notions about romance fail to match those of her practical fiancé. Fearing her distress is childish, she writes in her journal…“True love cannot be a fragile flower.” Her steadfast pledge of love must survive the tribulations ahead.

A teenage orphan is thrust into the maze of courtship and mannered society during the Jane Austen era in 1815. Share the quest of young Patience Hawthorne’s journey through the Maze of Love, Manners and Courtship in Regency England. Patience finds real trouble begins in London and continues in her home parish until she travels to Bath and the English countryside. Suddenly orphaned, her life is equal measures of hope and despair under the guardianship of her uncle. Much like any young lady living in the Regency period, she is governed by the strict rules of society. A past love hinders her search for true love whilst a dashing officer disappoints. Knowing her own heart's desire proves to be more difficult than she ever had imagined.