 In Desperate Remedies a young woman, Cytherea Graye, is forced by poverty to accept a post as lady's maid to the eccentric Miss Aldclyffe, the woman whom her father had loved but had been unable to marry. Cytherea loves a young architect, Edward Springrove, but Miss Adclyffe's machinations, the discovery that Edward is already engaged to a woman whom he does not love, and the urgent need to support a sick brother drive Cytherea to accept the hand of Aeneas Manston, Miss Adclyffe's illegitimate son, whose first wife is believed to have perished in a fire; however, their marriage is almost immediately nullified when it emerges that his first wife had left the inn before it caught fire. Manston's wife, apparently, returns to live with him, but Cytherea, her brother, the local rector, and Edward come to suspect that the woman claiming to be Mrs. Manston is an impostor. It emerges that Manston killed his wife in an argument after she left the inn, and had brought in the impostor to prevent his being prosecuted for murder, as the argument had been heard (but not seen) by a poacher, who suspected Manston of murder and had planned to go to the police if his wife did not turn up alive. In the novel's climax, Manston attempts to kidnap Cytherea and flee, but is stopped by Edward; he later commits suicide in his cell, and Cytherea and Edward marry.
Who is the young architect that Grayes' loves? Who is Grayes' employer? Who does Manston try to kidnap? Who is Miss aldclyffe? Who does edward marry in the end? Who suspected Aeneas Manston of murder? Whose sibling is suffering from an illness? How did the first wife of Miss Adclyffe's illegitimate son die? Who suspects that Mrs. Manston is an imposter? Who did manston killed and why according to the poacher? When did the wife of Manston leave the inn? Why does Cytherea Graye take on the lady's maid job? Why did cytherea marry manston? Who is Grayes' brother? Whose hand does Grayes reluctantly take in marriage?  When did Manston kill his wife? What is Edwards profession?  What is the profession of the man Cytherea is in love with? Who did manston attempt to kidnap in the end and was stopped by whom? Which character is forced into poverty at the beginning of the story? Who commits sucide in the end and where? Who kills Manston? Who does cytherea love and what is his profession? Who heard the argument betwwen manston and his wife? Where does Aeneas Manston commit suicide? Why did Manston introduce an imposter? What was manstons plan? What job does Graye take to help her financial situation? Who stop Manston from kidnapping Cytherea?