Lady Margaret lives a charmed life in Scotland. She is a member of society, is friends with royalty, and is considered quite a catch. Her father wants her to marry someone that she knows she cannot never be happy with, she runs off during the betrothal announcement, causing a scandal in their circle. Her father is so disappointed in her that he sends her away until the gossip blows over.

Margaret is not like other women of the time. She speaks her mind, strives to find her purpose in life, and knows what she does and does not want. While exiled, she finds joy and fulfillment doing charity work, learning who she is and what she wants from her own life. Her work takes her to America, where she finds inner strength and friendships that broaden her work, her world view and brings her to a place of contentment and pride in herself.

What an incredible and smart work of historical fiction! Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, based this on an actual relative of hers, Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott. Ferguson worked on this for nearly two decades, doing research, digging into that time period, and you can hear Sarah's own voice in the character of Lady Margaret. Margaret is such an inspiration. She is not afraid to speak up even if it costs her dearly, as she will never compromise what she wants out of her life. The challenges for women of that time are some that many of us still face today, and readers will find themselves cheering for Lady Margaret to get her HEA!