Georgina’s new boss Tallis York has been told that she is having an affair with Desmond Warner, his cousin’s estranged husband. Nothing she says or does can clear the air. As Georgina fumes about this unfounded gossip, somewhere along the way she realizes that she actually does care a lot about what Tallis thinks about her.
Severity reflects intensity, not value — “central theme” means a warning is a core part of the book, not that the book is bad.