What Famous Secret Janeite am I talking about?

Okay, I am thinking of a story, and the author of that story, with all of the following elements: 

. It takes place in England during the Napoleonic Wars.

2. The heroine and hero almost get engaged but when they don't, she waits over eight years for him to return from the war.

3. The symbol is emphasized of the heroine as being like flowers which have withered, but which bloom again when the hero returns.

4. The hero's interest in the heroine is spurred by his courting a younger flirtacious woman whose Christian name begins with L, who seems to become ill near the end of the story, but she does not die, and eventually she gives way to the heroine, whom the hero has always loved.

5. There are female characters named Henrietta and Fanny.

6. The author wrote a long time ago, but the author's name is still a household name.

7. This story has been adapted for both stage and screen, and the names of the actor and the actress who played the hero and heroine are both well known.

8. The  hero reveals his love for the heroine in a very romantic way.

BUT....

The story is NOT Persuasion, and the author is not Jane Austen!

So, what is the name of the story and who is the author (who obviously was a secret Janeite)?

Unless someone guesses them by Sunday 10 am EST, I will reveal them then, and how I found out about them.

Cheers, ARNIE

@JaneAustenCode on Twitter