Cirrus@Austlit

'When Miss Martha Swan enters the fine home of Lord and Lady Stanton to become a governess, she is full of lofty ideals. Yet something is amiss in the hallowed halls of Stanton: whispers, laughter, and something darker and more wicked echoes from behind closed doors, and Martha is determined to find out what.

'She soon discovers that all is not as it seems in this stately home. The lord and lady have secrets — lustful, carnal, shameful secrets that could spell ruination for all. Martha wants to be appalled, but she finds herself intrigued, and when her long-time friend Mr Jonathan Reeves comes to visit, Martha conceives a daring plan to assuage her curiosity.

'Things are not so simple, however, as neither Martha nor Jonathan have the money to marry. Nothing can come from this relationship — nothing but the experience of ecstasy. In such a situation, what is a curious governess to do?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.