The only daughter of a French Marquis, the headstrong Marguerite was the apple of her father’s eye. Jealous and embittered, her mother schemed to rid herself of the seventeen-year-old girl through marriage to a much older man. Strenuous efforts to escape such a fate resulted in Marguerite being sent in disgrace to an Irish Convent to reflect on her unacceptable attitude. Instead, she absconded with a man she scarcely knew, and married him in a clandestine ceremony. To escape the Marquis’ fury, the couple fled to British India. Over the years, far from the bright future she anticipated, Marguerite was destined to suffer violence, betrayal, rejection, and finally poverty. Battling against almost insurmountable odds, the young woman regained prosperity through grim determination and her own merit. However, her personal independence came at a price…