It is 1899 in England's Lake District, and the Earl of Gosswater has died. Young Lady Agatha expected to inherit the castle, but instead she learns that she is not actually the Earl's daughter, and everything goes to cruel, grasping cousin Clarence. A small part of Agatha is a bit relieved to know that there's an external reason why she always felt unloved, but a much larger part of Agatha is horrified to be turned out of her home penniless, sent to live with her actual father who she never knew existed. And a father who has spent time in prison, who lives in a humble cottage raising geese...
Her horror shares headspace with a burning desire to get something of what she feels is owed to her--starting with a magnificent black opal that she prizes out from its setting before being sent away from the castle. There's a second family opal as well, a white one, but that one has been lost for years....
Agatha's father does not give her a warm and loving welcome; he is not unkind, but is very reserved and tells Agatha nothing about the past. Still, she sets to work with reasonable good will and utter lack of ability on the domestic tasks assigned to her. Inside, though, she's determined to both find out her backstory and find the missing white opal.
And with the help of a mysterious ghost and a local orphaned boy, she does both.
I read it in a single sitting--it's a nice, twisty story. Older readers (like me) might find Clarence something of an evil caricature, and Agatha's fixation on getting what's owed to her a bit unappealing. But that same older reader might well enjoy seeing Agatha and her father, along with the orphan boy, becoming a found family, and discovering who the ghost really is. There are plenty of scary and shocking moments, lots of good descriptions, and a very memorable goose that keep the pages turning quickly! So overall, I enjoyed it quite a bit.
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