
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
X
The scene opens in the twilight‑kissed garden of Fairholme Court, where ivy‑clad walls and a solitary fountain whispered of distant Italian courtyards. Miss Anne Page drifts among lavender borders and rose‑filled beds, her flowing dress mirroring the soft purples of the setting sky. The house itself, an eclectic blend of Elizabethan timber and Georgian brick, feels like a fairy‑tale retreat, its beech and chestnut trees standing as quiet sentinels over a perfectly manicured lawn.
As the evening deepens, Anne prepares to welcome friends for dinner, her poise and timeless beauty captivating all who see her. A carriage approaches, hinting at the arrival of guests whose conversations may stir the tranquil air. Beneath the genteel surface, the garden holds the promise of hidden feelings and subtle tensions that will begin to surface as the night unfolds.
Language
en
Duration
~6 hours (362K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
New York: John Lane, 1909.
Credits
MWS, Terry Jeffress and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Release date
2024-02-22
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1865–1943
An English novelist, journalist, and former teacher, she wrote sharp, readable fiction about women’s lives, work, and independence in the late Victorian and Edwardian years. Her career stretched across novels, short stories, and magazine writing, and she remained a lively literary voice well into the 20th century.
View all books
by Netta Syrett

by Netta Syrett

by Netta Syrett

by Abraham Cahan

by Dion Boucicault

by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps

by Lady (Sydney) Morgan