From New York Times bestselling author and creator of the beloved Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney mystery series comes a continuation of Jane Austen’s famous unfinished novel

Jane Austen’s unsung heroine, Ada Watson, is a privileged girl living with her wealthy aunt and uncle absent any meaningful contact with her birth family. Like any Austen heroine, Ada's life suddenly gets turned upside down—her uncle dies, and her aunt remarries unwisely, which means Ada must return to Wiltshire and rejoin the greater Watson clan. There, she becomes an object of desire for the most eligible bachelor in the county, the proud Lord Osborne…but her own fascination alights upon Mr. Howard, the local clergyman. In the 100 pages she wrote before abandoning the novel, Austen asks: can Ada afford to neglect the fortunes of her struggling family to truly follow her heart?

But Austen—and therefore, her devoted fans—never discovered the answer, leaving Ada's fate undefined and open to speculation. Until now, as bestselling author Claudia Gray expands Ada's story into a vivid tale of love, sorrow, and, as in any Austen novel, the ways the two become intertwined for a young woman in Regency-era England. Transforming The Watsons from an unpolished draft into a riveting ensemble novel filled with romance, humor, and social commentary, Gray recaptures the spirit of the story Jane herself never had the chance to tell.