Spots 
The impoverished Lefroy children play fortune-telling games, joking about future spouses and social rank. Adelaide Lefroy laughs off predictions of marrying a wealthy gentleman, unaware of how quickly financial ruin will press upon her family. Despite their noble pedigree as descendants of Sieur de Beaulieu, their lighthearted banter covers the dark reality of a home lacking financial stability and parental guidance.
CHAPTER I. → CHAPTER II.
High society gossip reveals Colonel Lefroy's sudden disappearance to America with an actress, leaving his five children with less than five pounds. The family home, Nutsgrove, is sold at auction to Tom Armstrong, a wealthy chemical manufacturer. Former governess Miss Rossitor learns how Aunt Josephine attempts to support the destitute household on a tiny annuity while relatives parcel out the children to harsh domestic roles and unpromising sea voyages.
CHAPTER III. → CHAPTER V.
Pauline flees her oppressive relatives, leaving the family destitute and desperate. Adelaide announces that Tom Armstrong, the new owner of Nutsgrove, found her injured in the grove and proposed marriage, offering to restore the estate and house her sisters. Her brother Robert urges her to accept the proposal as a tactical transaction, arguing that Armstrong wants her high social status while she gains financial security for her entire family.
CHAPTER VI. → CHAPTER IX.
Tom Armstrong overhears Adelaide tearfully lamenting that she married him solely to save her family from ruin. Overcome by heartbreak and realization, Armstrong pledges to act with gentleness rather than fury, recognizing the immense pressure placed upon his young bride. He informs Adelaide that he knows the truth, refusing her desperate attempts to fake affection, and proposes they maintain a quiet, distant cohabitation at Nutsgrove to protect her social standing.
CHAPTER X. → CHAPTER XIII.
An invitation to Lady Portrann's ball highlights the growing tension in the Armstrong household. Tom Armstrong generously funds an extravagant ball gown for Pauline, but Adelaide recoils at accepting his wealth while their marriage remains a hollow arrangement. At the event preparation, Armstrong quietly admires his wife's beauty, yet both remain trapped behind a wall of unspoken grief and formal courtesy, unable to cross the void between them.
CHAPTER XIV. → CHAPTER XVII.
Jack Everard rehearses dramatic love scenes with Pauline, reciting poetic declarations that deeply stir Adelaide. When Adelaide reaches out toward her husband, Armstrong pulls back, convinced she craves honeyed words he cannot provide. Everard confesses his persistent love for Pauline, while Armstrong prepares for a lengthy business trip to Ireland after secretly funding Robert's military commission, leaving Adelaide isolated with her growing confusion.
CHAPTER XVIII. → CHAPTER XXI.
Returning home, Armstrong spots Adelaide in the shadowy shrubbery with her former sweetheart, Edward. Misinterpreting their emotional farewell and past memories as active infidelity, Armstrong's jealousy solidifies into cold detachment. When Adelaide subsequently asks him for five hundred pounds to help her desperate former suitor, Armstrong instantly writes the check, convinced his money is purchasing his final release from a deceitful union.
CHAPTER XXII. → CHAPTER XXVII.
At a ball, Florrie Wynyard redirects Jack Everard's frustrated passion for Pauline by pointing out the quiet, enduring affection of Cicely Deane. While Florrie herself accepts a devoted suitor who waited six years in India, Everard begins observing Cicely's steady household quietness and musical passion. Over several months of quiet observation, Everard's fixation on Pauline fades as he discovers genuine love in Cicely's calm presence.
CHAPTER XXVIII. → CHAPTER XXX.
Confronted by Adelaide's failing health and lung illness, Armstrong casts aside all bitterness to care for her. He takes her to the warm climate of Algiers, where three years of gentle care melt their long-standing misunderstandings into authentic love. Returning to Nutsgrove with a healthy infant son, the couple enjoys complete harmony, leaving past hardship behind as Adelaide's recovery restores joy to the family estate.
MUNRO'S PUBLICATIONS. → THE SEASIDE LIBRARY.—POCKET EDITION.
A journey through financial bankruptcy, forced marriage, and secret misunderstandings toward genuine love and emotional healing.