During Louis Scatcherd’s stay at Greshamsbury, his arrogance, reckless behavior, and heavy drinking repeatedly bring him into conflict with those around him, while his health rapidly declines despite the efforts of Doctor Thorne and other physicians, until Louis, the last male heir of the Scatcherd family, eventually dies. Under the terms of Sir Roger Scatcherd’s will, the search for the person entitled to inherit if Louis dies without an heir brings Mary’s long-hidden parentage into decisive importance, revealing that the young woman once regarded simply as a poor doctor’s niece is in fact entitled to inherit the immense Scatcherd fortune. Once Mary becomes a wealthy heiress, many of the people who had opposed her marriage to Frank because of her lack of money and social position suddenly change their attitudes, exposing the hypocrisy of a society that places wealth and family status above love and personal worth. Frank remains true to the love he felt for Mary when she was still believed to be penniless, Mary finally accepts him, and their marriage resolves both the financial troubles of the Gresham family and the secret Doctor Thorne has guarded for so many years, bringing the intertwined conflicts of love, inheritance, and social rank to a satisfying close.
