Suppose there could be a girl in Victorian England who did not want to be married. And suppose such a girl had a gay, bachelor friend who also wished to forgo marriage. Such is the case of the unusual attachment between the confirmed bachelor about London, Sir Erskine Wald, and his childhood friend, the winsome but delicate daughter of the Earl of Chilverton, Lady Caroline Downey. Avoiding marriage in Victorian England is an admittedly tricky business. How can this unlikely pair withstand the pressures of Victorian society? With the help of Sir Erskine’s formidable mother, the improbable becomes a possibility.