Quandary of Miss Woodhouse after I'd returned then left (7)
I believe the answer is:
dilemma
'quandary' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'miss woodhouse after i'd returned then left' is the wordplay.
'miss woodhouse' becomes 'Emma' (main character in Jane Austen's novel Emma).
'after' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'returned' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'then' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'left' becomes 'l' (common abbreviation).
'id' in reverse letter order is 'di'.
'di'+'l'='dil'
'emma' after 'dil' is 'DILEMMA'.
'of' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for dilemma that I've seen before include "I'm lamed - it's a puzzle" , "difficult question" , "Difficulty (with two choices?)" , "embarrassment" , "Problem (with horns?)" .)