The Marriage of Elizabeth

Departing from the conventional marriage-as-resolution structure of the romance plot, Carnie Holdsworth marries her protagonists in the sixth chapter of seventeen, under somewhat unusual circumstances. Nursing her dying neighbour, Elizabeth Peel promises to marry the young woman's widow, and to help him raise their baby daughter. Unbeknownst to Elizabeth, said widow, John Stone, makes the same commitment, and a reluctant proposal ensues, which is accepted. Realising John's aversion to the marriage, however, Elizabeth's pride is enflamed, and she fulfils her obligation only on the condition that she works as his housekeeper, for wages, rather than acting as husband and wife where no love exists. -From the Introduction