00 - The Mercer

A family grown rich in the wool trade. The landed gentry they’ve displaced. And the gentle daughter whose beauty will open the door to an even greater prize - the nobility.Harry Fletcher is almost 50 years old, a widower with a large family and a respectable place in Yorkshire society, well on the road to becoming mayor. He’s very contented with his life, so when an attractive widow crosses his path, he’s happy to enjoy her company, but he doesn’t want to marry again and he certainly doesn’t want to abandon his roots in trade and gentrify himself.But he’s also very, very rich, and Lizzie Haygarth is very poor. She’s determined to find herself a new husband, one who won’t keep her struggling in genteel poverty. She sets her cap at Harry, but in the most delicate way imaginable, slowly but steadily drawing him into her net. But it’s not just Harry she needs to convince — it’s his whole family. And it’s not just marriage she has in mind. Her plans are far more ambitious that that.