In this sequel to 'Broken Blood Ties', Rose is desperate to have a child. Having miscarried during the couple's travels in Europe, she has to recover her strength and health and come to terms with conflict and frustration in her relationships. Her husband, Thomas, is now a rich man and determined to develop his house and estate in the Derbyshire countryside. He embraces all the science and technology of the Age. But he has unorthodox views and a secret which could destroy his marriage. Privacy does not exist in their households. Thomas and Rose are inextricably linked to their milieu of servants and relations both in London and Derbyshire. For those dependent on them, such as Lucy, the young daughter of a lady's maid, there is a price to pay. It embroils both Thomas and Rose in the criminality, imprisonment, and sorrow of domestic servants with their own lives 'below stairs.