The woman in the picture / Katrherine McMahon.

February, 1926. The city of London is tense in the days leading up to The General Strike. Evelyn Gifford, (protagonist of THE CRIMSON ROOMS) has now qualified as a solicitor - and is one of the first women to do so - but her life remains full of conflict. Embroiled in two new cases, Evelyn finds herself encountering both sides of the strike. A young maid is accused of a stealing a letter and as Evelyn becomes involved with her family, she finds a brother deeply involved in the unions and a father whose temper threatens to destroy everything. Her other case could not be more different - an aristocrat whose husband, a factory owner and money man, claims not to be the father of her child. When Evelyn's beloved grandmother dies, her aunt takes off on a tour of India and Meredith journeys to the south of France, Evelyn finds herself very much alone. But not for long - an unexpected proposal coincides with the return of a former love and Evelyn must ask herself what matters most - security or passion. She also discovers a secret hidden in her mother's past - a mystery that throws a very different light on the cases she is investigating.