Hester Roon is the illegitimate daughter of Ellie Roon. Ellie is a maid at The Fleece which is an inn for paying guests. Ellie loves her daughter very much and gets involved in a life of crime so that Hester can have a better life. In the end, Ellie commits suicide and the manager of The Fleece lords it over Hester, forcing her to overwork and become a drudge.
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When the master of the inn decides to make Hester his mistress, Hester runs away from the inn. She comes into contact with people who find her a job. They place her in the home of a rich old woman who keeps everything inside locked and is suspicious of strangers. Hester is the woman's companion/cook/maid. It turns out that the people who referred her to the old woman are thieves. They believe that the house is full of treasures and want to rob Hester's employer. Their plans don't work and all of them, including Hester, are brought to justice. Hester is the only one who is spared. She is transported on a boat to the West Indies.
Hester begins a new life in the West Indies as a companion/maid to Phillipa, daughter-in-law to Constance Markham. The Markhams live in a plantation house and own slaves. Hester falls in love with Ambrose Markham, Philippa's husband. However, Bruce Lyydon, another planation owner, also falls in love with Hester. He offers to marry Hester, but Hester wants Ambrose. When the slave revolt breaks out, the lives of every white person is at stake. During that time, Hester discovers the sort of man Ambrose really is.
The review of this Book prepared by Marie Morris
