Orphaned William Crimsworth is a young man with nothing.

As he sets out to make his way in the world he doesn't want to be indebted to anyone. But running parallel with this need for self-control is the desperate need to love - and be loved in return.

The least-known of Charlotte Bronte's novels: a subtle, ambiguous and unsettling love story, first published in 1857.

Dramatised in ten parts by Rachel Joyce.

William Crimsworth ...... Paul Venables
Edward Crimsworth ...... Jonathan Keeble
Lord Tynedale ...... Gerard McDermott
Mrs Crimsworth ...... Ruth Sillers

Director: Tracey Neale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2005. Show less