Everard Vavasour's confession of love for Angela Gresham sets in motion a painful collision between sincere feeling and social power. When he admits to his father that he has broken his self-imposed restraint, Mr. Vavasour answers with tenderness and warning, while Everard, newly awakened to the hope of being loved, goes to Underwood determined to speak honestly. There Mr. Gresham receives him with polished coldness, then delivers a patronizing refusal, judging him unfit for Angela by rank and "graces" alike. Everard's dignity is wounded, Angela defends him fiercely, and the lovers are left to endure the humiliations of pride, hesitation, and misunderstanding. As spring passes in London, Angela's hopes curdle into loneliness and resentment. She confides in Aunt Jane, whose pious patience offers little comfort, and later turns to Mr. Addison, who urges her to trust conscience above obedience and to refuse a marriage she cannot honor. Though she ultimately tells her father she will not marry Everard, Mr. Gresham dismisses her resolve as caprice. Meanwhile, Robert Vavasour's own conscience unravels in parallel, as remorse, dissipation, gambling, and temptation draw him toward moral ruin and a dangerous interest in Angela's fortune. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.
