Book excerpt: Katherine Lockley, the Dowager Countess of Wyndam has a mission. She’s many years from her youthful days, and wants help women, widows in particular, in need. Women, who like her, found themselves on a path they didn’t choose, but are forced to navigate it nonetheless. She takes a young widow under her wing, and if Katherine’s plans are successful, she will continue her league of widows. Each one with their own story, their own path, and in time, the happiness they crave. But every great plan has to start somewhere, and this is where her wicked widows’ league began.