Winifred Ashton (1888-1965) was an English novelist and playwright. Born in Blackheath, Ashton published her first novel, Regiment of Women (1917), under the pseudonym Clemence Dane, launching a long and successful career as a professional writer. Her 1921 play A Bill of Divorcement, a major hit, was adapted for a 1932 film starring Katharine Hepburn and John Barrymore as well as a 1940 remake starring Maureen O'Hara and Adolphe Menjou. Encouraged by the success of the burgeoning film industry, Ashton began working as a screenwriter on such projects as Anna Karenina (1935) and Perfect Strangers (1945), the latter of which earned her an Academy Award. A member of the legendary Detection Club, one of her novels-cowritten with Helen Simpson-was adapted for Alfred Hitchcock's 1930 film Murder!

At a prestigious school in England, two teachers forge a friendship that turns to mutual attraction. Unable to live openly as lesbians, Clare Hartill and Alwynne Durand struggle to conceal the nature of their bond from family and colleagues alike. When tragedy strikes, Clare's attitude change threatens to alienate Alwynn for good. Regiment of Women is a novel by Winifred Ashton.