The Proposition

A fiercely proud, high-born 19th-century Welsh widow finds herself in desperate need of quick cash in order to save her late husband's estate. There are only two real ways to save it; one is to marry an aristocratic regional sheriff whom she despises, and the other is to find enough money to pay the debt directly. She opts for the latter, deciding that the best way to accomplish that would be to sell the estate's 200 head of cattle in Gloucester. The trouble is, Gloucester is a long way from her land and most of the men able to help her are in the British army. The only one able to help is the sheriff's hated alcoholic half-brother (literally and figuratively a bastard) Rhys. Only after his fields are mysteriously burned does he accept -- and then on one condition: Rhys will drive the cattle if the widow will have sex with him in Gloucester.