Lady Rosamond's Secret

Flowers, river views and lively conversation surround a private conflict at Old Government House in Fredericton. Rebecca Agatha Armour's historical romance opens on a September evening in 1824, with Sir Howard Douglas tending his garden and talking with his daughter Mary. Lady Rosamond belongs to the company gathered on the verandah. The introduction places the story within Douglas's administration and explains the author's interest in the social customs of that period.

Rosamond's outward composure conceals distress over family expectations. Speaking with Lady Douglas, she declares her resolve to follow her father's wishes and expresses gratitude toward Gerald Bereford, even while struggling to contain her feelings. At dinner, she takes part in spirited conversation with apparent ease. The contrast between that public confidence and her earlier tears gives the romance its emotional focus. Readers can explore a nineteenth-century New Brunswick household where affection, social rank and obligation meet in formal gatherings and intimate exchanges.