The Legacy of Jane Austen

Every Time We Say Goodbye: A Journey to Uncover Jane Austen's Secrets

The year is 1865, and sisters Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson have achieved everything a woman of their time is permitted to achieve. Frustrated by societal constraints and inspired by the works of Jane Austen, they begin a secret correspondence with her last living brother, the elderly Admiral Francis Austen. He gifts them one of his sister's original letters and invites them to visit him in England.
However, the Boston ladies are not Sir Francis's only correspondents. In Philadelphia live two unmarried brothers, Nicholas and Haslett Nelson, veterans of the recent Civil War and dealers in rare books. The Admiral entices the young men to England with the promise of a previously unknown rare artefact belonging to Jane Austen for them to appraise.
The Stevenson sisters secretly set off on their journey, unchaperoned. Also travelling on their ship are the Nelson brothers, author Louisa May Alcott, the wealthy senator's daughter Sara-Beth Gleason, who has her eye on the Nelson brothers, and Judge Thomas Nash, who boards the ship at the very last minute to keep an eye on the Stevenson sisters.
This journey will dramatically and unpredictably change the life of everyone involved. The transformative power of a love for literature, and for Jane Austen herself, will also play a significant role.