Instructions for bringing up Scarlett

the long version

"Alice McLean is living the life she always dreamed of, no ties, no constraints and no worries. As an only child, with her parents long gone, she's financially independent and has an undemanding job as a copywriter, working from her picturesque cottage in Gloucestershire. Her life is one of care-free adventure, full of spa days, dinner parties and glamorous weekends away. But Alice's charmed existence comes to an abrupt end when she receives some devastating news - her best friend Virginia and her husband have been killed in a car crash. Then the solicitor informs her that she is now the legal guardian of Virginia's young daughter, Scarlett. Suddenly, Alice's uncomplicated life is thrown into turmoil. Now Alice must come to terms not only with the loss of her oldest friend, but with the new-found responsibilities of being a single parent. So begins a journey that will force Alice to reassess her dreams, as she realises that sometimes the greatest adventures are the ones you never thought you'd take." --Publisher description.