Читать книгу Kitty - Elizabeth Bailey - Страница 3

Dear Reader,

I have often thought with sympathy of that army of sad spinsters in bygone days whose lot in life was to be a governess. Without means, marriage was out of the question, and so they entered alien households to work as a tutor.

In the Georgian world of my creation, three such young ladies, devoted friends, are just emerging from a charitable seminary in Paddington, where they have been prepared for just such a life.

First comes tender Prudence, a softhearted creature, who is hopelessly outclassed by the enterprising twin nieces of Julius Rookham. Resentful of his amusement at her struggles, Prue finds her unruly heart nevertheless warms to her employer.

Then there is practical Nell, buoyed up by a commonsense approach to the strange goings-on in the Gothic castle of a brooding widower and the erratic behavior of his little daughter. Yet she is drawn to the mystery of Lord Jarrow’s tortured past, and all Nell’s considerable strength of mind cannot prevent her from falling into a dangerous attraction.

Lastly, there is fanciful Kitty, the only one of the trio to escape the future mapped out for her. But her reality is a far cry from the golden ambition of her dreams.

I dedicate these stories to those unsung heroines condemned to a life of drudgery, who deserve all the romance they can get.