The attractive Lady Susan creates a stir in society: freshly widowed, she knows how to use her charms and is already flirting with her admirers again. Rumors of alleged affairs are circulating. To escape the gossip, she retreats to her brother's estate. There, she can quietly pursue her plan: to find a new wealthy husband. The object of her desire is the dapper Reginald DeCourcy, her sister-in-law's younger brother. Schemes are actively spun to eliminate unwanted rivals. However, when her daughter Frederica unexpectedly appears, Lady Susan's plans are put at risk. She had chosen the wealthy but rather simple Sir James Martin for her daughter, which does not sit well with him at all. Lady Susan was Jane Austen's first novel; it was published posthumously.