Author Note

Meet the new governess…

The role of the governess was not always an easy one in Victorian England. Like Maud Wilmot, the heroine of this tale, many governesses existed “between stairs,” accepted neither by the servants nor by the family, and some were at the mercy of their more unscrupulous employers. Governesses were expected to provide both academic and moral education, and to be of high moral character themselves. Any slur on their character, whether true or not, could mean ruin.

But during the nineteenth century, governesses began to stand up for their profession. Some were “bluestockings,” passionately committed to the education of women. Like Maud, many governesses used fables and fairy tales for the moral education of their young charges. Such stories were full of wonder, wisdom and, often, warning to women. A well-known governess, Madame Leprince de Beaumont, published educational guides for young ladies in the 1800s. Her Moral Tales became famous handbooks and included the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast.

I hope you enjoy this romance of a storytelling governess who learns never to give up on a happy ending.