'A charming and brilliantly entertaining novel' Penelope Lively, from the introduction

"When did two girls of our age have such a chance as we've got-to have a lark entirely on our own? No chaperone, no rules, no..."
"No present income or future prospects," said Lucilla.
"No slavery!" cried Jane.

It's 1919 and Jane and her cousin Lucilla leave school to find that their guardian has gambled away their inheritance, but left them with a small cottage outside London. Determined to become successful businesswomen, the cousins embark on a series of misadventures - setting up a flower shop, a guest house, and ignoring the attentions of male admirers - in a bid to secure their independence.