For an ambitious, keenly intelligent woman, lying proves to be the easiest way to get through life, in this Victorian-era classic. Lizzie Greystock is a woman of rare cunning and determination-both of which she uses to better her lot in life. This is especially true when she manages to convince the ailing Sir Florian Eustace to marry her shortly before his demise, leaving Lizzie both a wealthy widow and the mother to Florian's young son. A born deceiver, Lizzie is easily able to keep up the front of a proper mourning widow. But while her inherited wealth provides her with comfort, her true love is saved for the opulent diamond necklace her late husband gifted to her. Though it is a family heirloom, she adamantly refuses to give it up, and it soon becomes the focus of her life and the lives of those around her. The story of one woman's ability to mask her true self and manipulate those who would do the same, The Eustace Diamonds shows the true mastery of witty storytelling and social mores that made Anthony Trollope a revered author. The Eustace Diamonds is the 3rd book in the Palliser Novels, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.