The Governess Diaries
Euphemia "Effie" Darrow fell desperately in love with Nicholas Montford, the younger son of the Duke of Clarenden, but he broke her heart with a cold dismissal before leaving to join the army, driven off by his father's lies and threats against Effie. Rather than pine for him, Effie found purpose running the Darrow School, a place for illegitimate and forgotten children of noblemen, teaching girls to fend for themselves and keep their independence. Years later, fate brings Nicholas back into her life as the surviving heir to the dukedom and a master spy working to protect the crown, and he finds himself once more under Effie's spell. Told through diary entries and shifting timelines, the novel traces how lies and threats tore the two apart, and what it takes to undo them.
Runs a school for illegitimate noble daughters after being cast aside by the man she loved; finds him back in her life years later.
The Duke of Clarenden's younger son, driven away by his father's threats; returns as heir to the dukedom and a spy for the crown.
