
audiobook
Through a series of lively letters, Miss Cowley shares the rhythm of life at Tarefield, where genteel conversation intertwines with whispered anxieties. She sketches the fragile health of Sir Murdock Maclairn, a polite yet melancholy baronet haunted by an unnamed grief, and conveys the steady support of his devoted wife, whose calmness steadies a household teetering on unease. The correspondence gently unveils the daily rituals—chess games, carriage rides, and shared readings—that conceal a growing sense that something darker lingers behind the estate’s polished façades.
The narrative’s intimate tone invites listeners to feel the warmth of friendship while sensing an undercurrent of danger that threatens to upend the tranquil routine. Miss Cowley’s observations are both tender and sharp, hinting at a hidden authority that limits her freedom and suggesting that the genteel world of Tarefield may soon confront a more malevolent force. As the letters progress, the listener is drawn into a subtle, escalating mystery that promises both emotional depth and a hint of intrigue.
Language
en
Duration
~5 hours (314K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United Kingdom: W. Earle and J. W. Hucklebridge, 1806.
Credits
Mary Glenn Krause, Charlene Taylor 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
2023-07-11
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects
1754–1813
An early 19th-century English novelist, she wrote moral tales and domestic fiction shaped by hard experience, including years spent in Lisbon and later life in Norwich. Her books sit in the same broad literary world as Jane Austen’s, but with a strong didactic streak of their own.
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