A London Times bestseller praised for its irresistible characters, comic timing, and romantic appeal, Stately Pursuits is the story of Hettie Longden, freshly dumped and brokenhearted, who agrees to look after her great-uncle's long-abandoned mansion in the countryside. She is at something of a lifetime low: no job, no lover, no prospects, and no particular talent for resuscitating crumbling estates. So she hopes for nothing more than a good old-fashioned escape. What she finds, though, is a cast of quirky and ever-present neighbors, a couple of sensitive New Age guys, some very humorless bank officials, two disarming little canines, one gracious, dilapidated, romantic old house--and, just maybe, enough elbow grease to polish everything up again.