In 1718, in a small parish near Newcastle, Eliza Tally embarks on a reckless love affair that will prove her undoing. When her lover casts her off, denying their union, she is forced to travel to London. There she takes up a position in the house of an apothecary, Grayson Black, whom she trusts to salvage what remains of her reputation. Paperback , 381 pages Published July 1st 2008 by Penguin Books, Limited (UK) (first published January 1st 2007)