
By Mary Elizabeth Braddon
CHAPTER I. - LUCY.
CHAPTER II. - ON BOARD THE ARGUS.
CHAPTER III. - HIDDEN RELICS.
CHAPTER IV. - IN THE FIRST PAGE OF "THE TIMES."
CHAPTER V. - THE HEADSTONE AT VENTNOR.
CHAPTER VI. - ANYWHERE, ANYWHERE OUT OF THE WORLD.
CHAPTER VII. - AFTER A YEAR.
CHAPTER VIII. - BEFORE THE STORM.
CHAPTER IX. - AFTER THE STORM.
The story opens on the sprawling, ivy‑clad Audley Court, a labyrinthine estate where each cracked window and overgrown garden hints at a long‑forgotten past. Its winding avenues, crumbling arches, and secret passages create a mood of both grandeur and unease, inviting visitors to lose themselves in its endless corridors. From the moment a young governess steps onto the lawn, the house itself feels like a character, whispering promises of hidden histories.
Inside, Sir Michael Audley returns with his striking new wife, whose beauty instantly becomes the talk of the county. Yet strange events—a locked door that swings open, a child's vanished toy, and a hidden compartment the little daughter uncovers—suggest a darker secret beneath the polished façade. The governess is pulled into a tightening web of deception, forced to decide whom she can trust in a world where appearances are dangerously deceptive.
Language
en
Duration
~14 hours (827K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Jonathan Ingram and Distributed Proofreaders
Release date
2005-09-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1835–1915
A star of Victorian sensation fiction, she hooked readers with fast-moving plots, secrets, and scandal. Best known for Lady Audley’s Secret, she was also a remarkably prolific novelist and magazine editor.
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by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon

by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon

by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon

by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon

by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon

by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon

by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon

by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon