9 h 17 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What can a generous heart win in a world that measures people by money and birth?
Emily Fox-Seton lives in a tiny rented room in London and earns her living doing errands for the rich. A poor gentlewoman in her thirties, she has no fortune and no one to lean on. Yet her busy days leave room for small joys, and she gives kindness as readily as she gives her time.
Her wealthy employer, Lady Maria Bayne, brings Emily into a country house where new chances open. There she meets Lord Walderhurst, a reserved nobleman accustomed to attention for his rank. Frances Hodgson Burnett draws this gentle romance toward darker suspense, asking what goodness is worth when wealth and birth seem to count for everything.
What you’ll discover
- A quietly winning heroine Stay close to Emily’s thoughts as she meets hardship with steady, cheerful kindness.
- Behind the country-house doors Enter Lady Maria’s circle, where Emily’s small working life meets wealth and new possibilities.
- Romance across social ranks Meet Lord Walderhurst, whose position draws attention, and discover Emily’s very different appeal.
- Warmth with darker shadows Follow a comedy of manners as its gentle pleasures give way to growing suspense.
- Worth beyond money Consider what makes a person admirable when fortune, beauty, and titles carry such weight.
Who will love it
You will love this if you enjoy kind heroines, drawing-room wit, country houses and old-fashioned suspense, or if you like stories where goodness is tested by greed and fear.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A cheerful woman stretches a tiny income
- An invitation to Mallowe Court changes her summer
- Three women compete for a marquis
- The village treat shows what she is worth
- A long walk for fish brings a surprising offer
- A marchioness who stays herself
- The heir and his wife wait in the wings
- Alone, she must find a way to be safe
- What the story is about and how it is told
Who’s who
- Emily Fox-SetonA big, honest, cheerful woman who earns her living by doing errands for the rich and feels grateful for every kindness.
- Lord WalderhurstA reserved, rich marquis with a monocle, who wants a sensible companion and gradually comes to appreciate Emily.
- Lady Maria BayneA sharp-tongued, selfish, witty old lady who relies on Emily and enjoys arranging the lives around her.
- Lady Agatha SladeA beautiful but poor young woman who hopes to marry well to rescue her family from debt.
- Jane CuppEmily's loyal landlady's daughter, who dreams of being a great lady's maid and watches over her mistress fiercely.
- Captain Alec OsbornThe marquis's heir, a heavy-drinking, bullet-headed man who longs for the title and estates.
- Hester OsbornHis young wife, raised in India, poor and bitter, who envies Emily's comfort and is torn between hatred and affection.
- AmeerahHester's silent Indian maid, who knows secret remedies and loves her mistress with fierce loyalty.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 9 h 17 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Emily Fox-Seton
by Frances Hodgson Burnett · 1901
A penniless woman who runs errands for the rich is asked to join a grand house party, and a marquis takes notice.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
What happens when the person everyone leans on is finally noticed? Emily Fox-Seton is thirty-four, nearly penniless, and always cheerful as she runs errands for rich London ladies.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A cheerful woman stretches a tiny income
Emily Fox-Seton lives on very little and enjoys nearly all of it. She is a big, well-bred, hazel-eyed woman who earns a living doing small jobs for wealthy people. She hires servants, writes notes, shops and sorts out their problems.
Her one secure home is a rented bedroom in Mortimer Street, found for her by an old employer, Mrs. Maytham, who left her a small legacy. Her landlady Mrs. Cupp and Mrs. Cupp's daughter Jane keep a fire lit and the kettle warm. Emily decorates the room with cheap red cloth and treats a single teacup as a luxury.
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What is Emily Fox-Seton about?
It follows a poor, cheerful Englishwoman who earns her living by running errands for rich people. When a marquis notices her at a country house party, her life changes, and her kindness is soon tested by greed.
Who is Emily Fox-Seton?
She is a thirty-four-year-old woman of good family but almost no money, who works for wealthy patrons in London. She is generous, honest, and so modest that she never notices how much others rely on her.
Is Emily Fox-Seton also called The Making of a Marchioness?
Yes. Burnett's novel appeared under that title, and the story is often read in a form that centers on its heroine. It is the same tale of a poor woman who becomes the Marchioness of Walderhurst.
The author
Frances Hodgson Burnett
1849–1924 · English-American novelist and playwright
Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849–1924) was a novelist and playwright born in Manchester, England. She moved to the United States in 1865 and later lived in England and New York. Her books include Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886), A Little Princess (1905), and The Secret Garden (1911). She died in New York.
More by Frances Hodgson Burnett
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