Only a girl's love

About the book

Stella escapes an unhappy school in Florence and arrives unexpectedly at the quiet English cottage of her uncle, James Etheridge. The painter's affectionate welcome supplies the home she has missed since her father's death. Nearby Wyndward Hall, however, introduces a world whose inherited power and imposing appearances stir her imagination. Even before she meets Leycester Wyndward, his portrait and her uncle's account of his recklessness make him a compelling, troubling presence. Garvice develops the attraction between a young woman accustomed to emotional deprivation and a man whose position has allowed him considerable freedom. The contrast between the cottage and the great house turns questions of trust into questions of social power. Stella's capacity for affection is valuable precisely because the surrounding world does not always value people honestly.

• Love and social power
• Home and belonging
• Reputation and character

Why read it

The artist's cottage and Leycester's portrait give Stella's developing attachment a distinctive visual and emotional beginning.

English Street and Smith text, Eagle Series number 215