A Bankrupt Heart by Florence Marryat

In a lavish London household, Miss Llewellyn appears to be merely a housekeeper, yet her elegance, private comforts, and aching devotion to Lord Ilfracombe suggest a far more intimate and precarious role. When his letter from Malta hints that she should leave town and that Sterndale will bring "something to tell" her, her fear of separation is soon confirmed by a devastating intrusion from the past: her younger sister Hetty and Hetty's husband, William Owen, arrive from rural Wales, bringing family news and exposing the gulf between country innocence and Nell's carefully guarded life. As Nell juggles their visit, the theatre, and the scrutiny of servants, she is forced to conceal the truth of her privileges while confronting the moral simplicity of her family and the boorish interference of Jack Portland. Then Sterndale delivers the blow she most dreads: Ilfracombe intends to marry another woman and settle her away. Refusing humiliation, Nell writes in anguish, recounting how he lifted her from service and made her his wife in all but name. Her wait for his reply becomes a study in betrayal, class vulnerability, and the brutal cost of loving a man who can discard her. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.