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What lies beneath the ordered world of Falconbridge Hall?
Vanessa Ashley considered herself qualified for a position as governess, until offered the position at Falconbridge Hall. Left penniless after the deaths of her artist father and suffragette mother, Vanessa draws on her knowledge of art, politics, and history to gain employment as a governess. She discovers that Julian, Lord Falconbridge, requires a governess for his ten-year-old daughter Blyth at Falconbridge Hall, a huge rambling mansion in the countryside outside London. Lord Falconbridge is a scientist and dedicated lepidopterist who is about to embark on an expedition to the Amazon in search of exotic butterflies. An enigmatic man, he takes a keen interest in his daughter's education, but Vanessa fears that he may disapprove of her modern methods. As she prepares her young charge to enter into the modern world, Vanessa finds the girl detached and aloof. As Vanessa learns more about Falconbridge Hall, more questions arise. Why doesn't Blythe feel safe in her own home? Why is the death of her mother, once famed society beauty Clara, never spoken of? And why did the former governess leave so suddenly without giving notice?“The author deserves high praise for her ability to capture the reader’s attention and engage one in both the mystery and the romance of this delightful story!” InD’Tale Magazine
Excerpt:
Vanessa
remembered passing the library on her first day and located it without
difficulty. She entered the room, finding it empty. It was designed for
masculine comfort. Bookshelves filled with tomes covered all available wall
space. A tan leather chesterfield and two chairs were grouped in front of the
fireplace, and a tiger skin covered the floor in front of the hearth. The Times, The Daily Telegraph and the Penny Press lay on a table, and the
aroma of cigars and pipe smoke lingered in the air.
A
variety of magazines was stacked in a rack. Vanessa sorted through The Gentleman’s Magazine, Punch, The Strand,
and the London Sunday Journal. She
selected Punch and the Penny Press to take back to her room.
She
roamed the shelves searching for suitable books and found several on botany,
including one by Lord Falconbridge on Lepidoptera. She piled them onto a
mahogany table, along with the books and the notes she’d fetched from her room.
Searching further, she spied Plato’s Symposium
and climbed the ladder. It was just out of reach. Not wishing to climb down,
she leaned across. Her fingers touched the binding, and she leaned farther. She
almost had it.
“You
read Ancient Greek, Miss Ashley?” Lord Falconbridge asked behind her.
Vanessa
jumped, and her foot slipped off the rung. She lost her balance and fell into a
pair of strong arms.
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