The Lotus Eater in the Machine

[Steampunk Romance.] When Aurora Carnall, the unmarried daughter of a viscount, suffers at untimely miscarriage at a summer party, she is deemed ruined, and thus, unmarriageable by polite society. Rather than showing remorse or vexation, however, she is oddly at peace with her new status as a woman of dubious morality, heartfeltly believing that it was all worth it for love. When she is unceremoniously sent away by her parents, she is surprised to find that, rather than a convent, she has been enlisted to read poetry to a comatose woman, whilst managing the household in her stead. However, the two women are not alone – the comatose Marcia Clarke is married, and the elusive Vaugn Clarke poses an immense challenge to Aurora, a woman who, otherwise, has nothing to lose.