Outside the family yet intimately connected with it through the children, and forbidden from socializing with household servants, the lot of women like Olivia was a lonely one, wholly dependent upon the whims of their employers. Olivia’s position as governess at Brightwell Court is a heart-rending example of the cost and sacrifice devoting one’s life to the children of others. Each chapter opens with a quote that eloquently speaks to the theme found within the subsequent pages, many of them newspaper clippings or snippets from 19th century texts describing the duties and perception of governesses by their employers. I found the exploration of a governess’s lot in life to be absolutely fascinating. Seemingly thrown together by chance, Olivia and Edward must each discover that only grace can cover the secrets they are so desperate to keep unspoken, or they may lose their chance at a future brighter than they’d ever dreamed. But secrets cannot remain hidden forever, and Olivia’s reticence to admit her past and Edward’s desperate attempts to hide the secret of his birth threaten to destroy any hope of happiness for the unlikely pair. And Edward’s pride and fear, which had made Olivia an unwilling resident of Brightwell, prove to mask the kind heart of a gentleman.

But the residents of Brightwell Court begin to wend their way into Olivia’s heart – Edward’s young cousins, starved for a mother’s love, provide Olivia with the opportunity to step into the role of governess. Though her “prison” is a gilded one, Olivia longs for her freedom, even while the desperate circumstances that forced her flight from home weigh heavy on her heart.

For Olivia has overheard a desperate family secret, and in order to secure his future Edward sees no other option than to keep the beautiful stranger who holds his future in her hands a virtual prisoner in his home. An unfortunate misunderstanding and a brutal attack leave Olivia at the mercy of the heir of the manor, Lord Bradley.

Alone and frightened, with only the vague hope of securing a position thanks to her mother’s recommendation, Olivia stumbles onto Brightwell Court. Aspiring schoolmistress Olivia Keene’s quiet life is cruelly disrupted when she saves her mother from a vicious attack and in the aftermath is forced to flee, believing herself guilty of a heinous crime.

The silent governess by julie klassen