Obsession (DE)

Life in the English county of Derbyshire is in a state of upheaval. Several families - all with marriageable young ladies and gentlemen - become entangled in romance and intrigue in a time of optimism. Fate is kind to the somewhat neglected estates of the traditional families who fell on hard times in the late 18th century. Now, in the middle of the 19th century, the Asquith, Cavendish, Ponsonby and York families have new sources of income and are striving to modernize their estates and restore their tarnished reputations. Financial resources are still modest, but there is a new spirit of optimism in the south of Derbyshire!

Alderley Hall is the home of the Earl's widow Margaret Fairchild and her sister-in-law Ethel, who have a combined income of well over £20,000 a year. Only the loneliness of the sprawling estate clouds the generous hearts of the two widowed and childless ladies.

To their great joy, they were now able to welcome new residents: Margaret's dashing nephew Charles and her lovely niece Elizabeth. Both had recently experienced tragedy. As their parents crossed the English Channel on their way back from a trip to the South of France, they were killed in a severe storm. The death of Margaret's brother-in-law and his wife meant that Charles and Elizabeth now live permanently on the Fairchild estate, far away from their childhood home in Yorkshire. A year has now passed since the terrible accident and of course the stalwart Fairchild ladies know exactly what the best medicine for a grieving heart is: romance! There is plenty of first-class marriage material in the estates of the surrounding hills. The neighboring families in Derbyshire all have children of marriageable age - and the Fairchild ladies have big plans.