"At the novel's centre stands Harriet, the young, outspoken heroine, on the threshold of adult life. Her soldier husband, James, is about to set off to join Wellington's troops in Spain, accompanied by his friend, a pioneering young doctor, who also falls for Harriet's charms. Left in London, she is taken under the wing of Kitty, Lady Wellington. And while the women plunge into new worlds of politics, finance and science, the men face the bloody reality of the battlefield and the siege of Badajos, testing their endurance to the hilt. James falls fatally for a glamorous Spanish spy, but there are betrayals on Harriet's side too, and at times it seems their love cannot endure."--Publisher description.