Early autumn: a story of a lady

First published in 1926, public domain in the US and Canada. The renowned Pentland family name has stood for wealth, position, and elegance for many years. Yet, change was in the air in the years following the First World War, with many nouveaux-riches pretenders undermining the favoured family's authority as the arbiters of morals and class. Strong-willed Olivia Pentland leads a routine life that is mainly devoid of emotion or excitement. She is the cold and distant heir to the family fortune and the wife of Anson. Olivia, who is trapped in an oppressive marriage, must weigh her moral obligations against the sudden excitement and allure of a new love.