Just Poor

'Just Poor' is set in England in 1795. It is the story of Mary O’Donnel, a girl of extraordinary intelligence who starts life as an uneducated orphan, trapped in a world of rural futility. At the age of twelve, after insulting the local Lord, she is cast out from her community. Returning four years later, she befriends Lord Laurence’s sister, enters into his household, and succeeds in getting his commitment to help the poor. All too soon, costs escalate, and Lord Laurence begins to wonder if Mary’s motive is charity or vengeance…