The brutal assault and apparent suicide of Catherine Quixwood create rumours that threaten both her memory and her husband’s position in the financial world. Although the case lies outside Special Branch, Thomas Pitt begins a discreet inquiry when the official explanation fails to account for the evidence.
Charlotte and her sister Emily enter the social circles surrounding the Quixwoods, while Pitt examines the protections afforded to wealthy men. The investigation confronts Victorian attitudes towards sexual violence and the cost imposed on women who challenge respectable reputations.