A brilliant and glittering jewel of a novel...I was wholly swept away by this story.-Allison
Pataki New York Times bestselling author of The Queen's Fortune A tale of daring and
determination set against the glamorous heights and the harsh restrictions of aristocratic
society in the middle years of the British nineteenth century. -Sir Julian Fellowes creator of
Downton Abbey From one of the most famous former members of the British royal family Sarah
Ferguson Duchess of York-a mesmerizing novel of a young noblewoman's coming of age that richly
details both high society and low in Victorian England. Lady Margaret Montagu Scott the second
daughter of the Scottish Duke of Buccleuch a close friend of the Queen is expected to make an
advantageous marriage. But Margaret is an impulsive and outspoken girl in a repressive society
where women are quite literally caged in corsets and required to conform. When Lady
Margaret's parents arrange a society marriage for her she tries to reconcile herself to the
match. But shortly before her betrothal is announced Margaret flees leaving her parents to
explain her sudden absence to an opulent ballroom stuffed with two hundred distinguished
guests. Banished from polite society Margaret throws herself into charitable work and finds
strength in a circle of female friends like herself-women intent on breaking the mold
including Queen Victoria's daughter Princess Louise. Margaret resolves to follow her heart-a
journey of self-discovery that will take her to Ireland America and then back to Britain
where she finds the life she was always meant to lead. A bold and thoughtful story about a
rebellious woman finding herself and her voice in an age of astounding technological change and
great social unrest Her Heart for a Compass is a delicious costume drama rich in atmosphere
history and color.
