The Coward Behind the Curtain

Dorothy Gilbert has spent her life within the sheltered walls of a convent garden, where the only excitement has been whispered stories of distant gentlemen. When a hurried summons arrives, she is thrust into a world that feels both dreamlike and unsettling, stepping out with a quick‑silver hope that the man awaiting her will match the noble figures of her books. Instead, she meets Mr. Emmett—a hulking, stern presence whose blood‑shot eyes and scarred face betray a harsh reality far removed from the genteel ideals she has imagined.

The narrative follows Dorothy’s uneasy navigation of this new realm, where familiar comforts give way to hidden motives and looming danger. As she and her guardian Frances move deeper into a tangled web of secrets, the story balances the innocence of a young woman’s first foray beyond safety with the suspense of a mystery that threatens to unravel everything she thought she knew. Listeners will be drawn into a tense, atmospheric tale that questions what lies behind the curtain of appearances.