On a visit to the estate of her friend, the young and beautiful Isobel Payne, Countess of Scargrave, Jane Austen bears witness to a tragedy when Isobel's husband is felled by a mysterious ailment. Then Isobel receives a sinister missive accusing her and the Earl's nephew of adultery—and murder. Isobel begs for help, and Jane finds herself on a perilous investigation that leads all the way to Newgate Prison and the House of Lords—a trail that may well place Jane's own person in the gravest jeopardy.