Jill is an unconventional heroine - a lady who disguises herself as a maid and runs away to London. Life above and below stairs is portrayed with irreverent wit in this fast-paced story. But at the centre of the novel is Jill''s unfolding love for her mistress. On the surface a feminist manifesto, Jill is a poignant story of same-sex desire and unrequited love. An accessible new introduction tells the autobiographical story on which the novel is based - the author''s own passionate attachment to a woman she called her wife, but who she couldn''t have.