Miss Or Mrs?

Wilkie Collins Miss or Mrs? (1871) opens with a scene at the sea. Natalie, daughter of the wealthy Sir Joseph Graybrooke, has two suitors who are at loggerheads with one another. One of them, Richard Turlington finds his business sinking and devises plans to save it that involve blackmail, attempted murder, and commercial fraud. The tale offers insight into the unequal marriage laws of Victorian Britain.