Affairs Of The Heart (1974)

Bachelor Guy Beauprey is a childhood friend of Emma Gosselin and her mother. He complains to them that all bachelors are pursued relentlessly by mothers with unattached daughters and thinks the only escape is to fake an engagement.

Portrait painter James Mallory meets the beautiful Flora and asks to paint her. However, he discovers that there's something not quite right about Flora when she grows angry during the sitting.

Uppercrust owner Captain Yule cannot afford to pay off Mr Prodmore's mortgages - what's more, he's a radical MP in London and isn't even sure he wants to. Mr Prodmore offers to write off all the mortgages if Captain Yule will change his political allegiance and marry his daughter Cora.

Mrs Bridgenorth asks artist James Mallory to paint an imaginary portrait. He passes the commission on to his friend Mary Tredick who paints a superb portrait of a man from her past who meant a great deal to her. Mrs Bridgenorth is delighted, though it transpires that she too had known the unnamed man...

Adela is a young woman happily running her father's household and caring for her brother Godfrey and two younger sisters following the death of their mother. The domestic harmony is disrupted when, despite Adela's objections, their father Charles announces he is to marry Mrs Churchley, a widow of means.

Dr Austin Sloper is a wealthy widower who dominates his shy, mousy, only daughter Catherine. When Catherine meets impoverished but handsome Morris Townsend at an engagement party and becomes captivated, Dr Sloper's suspicions are aroused.

Lord James Lambeth accompanies his friend Percy Beaumont to America and meets the beguiling Bessie Alden. Bessie's learning and intelligence are in sharp contrast to James's vacant and superficial personality, but their friendship develops.

Kate Cookham refuses to accept that her fiance Herbert Dodd is breaking off their engagement. When tragedy strikes, wealthy Kate reappears in Herbert's life, offering him back all his money and more. Herbert's bitterness and grief conflict with his deep need for comfort.

Robert Merton and Kate Croy are in love but her Aunt Maud disapproves of the match because Robert has no money - she favours Lord Mark. A young unmarried American heiress Milly Theale is staying with them and Kate hatches a plan for Robert to court Milly and throw her aunt off guard.

Alan Wayworth has written a play which his wealthy married lover Leonie Alsager arranges to perform. The heroine of the play is based on Leonie but the young actress playing the part, Violet Grey, is struggling.

Banker Frederick Winterbourne meets the impetuous young American Daisy Miller in Geneva. He is charmed by her apparent innocence, but finds that other people including his Aunt Constance see her as vulgar.

On a ship returning from America, Englishmen Bertram Braddle and Henry Chilver meet the intriguing American widow Elizabeth Demerel, becoming rivals for her affection.

Richard Breen succeeds in persuading Juliana Bordereau and her niece Tita to rent him rooms at their crumbling Venetian palazzo in return for an extortionate rent, but his motives are not innocent.