When Marda undertakes to look after the recently orphaned 17-year-old ward of blind ex-racing driver James Longford, she expects to find a sad and subdued schoolgirl.  Instead she meets young American Shirley Kay, self-assured, chic and charming – and a minx.  Then there is James himself.  After the accident that left him blind, he has shut himself away from the world with only a repressed butler and a formidable cook to look after him.  How can Marda help a man who refuses to listen to music, hates the smell of flowers and never leaves the house, to find pleasure in life again?  And is Shirley going to be a help or a hindrance?

Originally published in 1940.