Charlotte, a newly married Victorian lady, finds married life tolerable but not exciting. Her husband Edward is gentle and kind, but Charlotte soon discovers that ignoring his orders leads to trouble. However, when she is punished for disobedience she discovers other feelings hitherto unknown to her... a curious excitement and a shameless tingling. Later, her haughty behaviour and bad display of temper results in the resignation of a faithful servant. As a consequence, Charlotte endures pain and humiliation, a cathartic experience which helps her learn a valuable lesson... as well as cement a new dynamic in her relationship with Edward.

In addition, this compilation contains 12 other short stories.