January 1804. Anne Sharpe arrives at Godmersham Park in Kent to take up the position of governess. At 31 years old she has no previous experience. But her mother has died and she desperately needs an independent income if she is to survive. For her new charge twelve-year-old Fanny Austen Anne's arrival is all novelty and excitement. But Anne is keenly aware that her new role is an awkward one and to balance a position between the 'upstairs' and 'downstairs' members of the household is a diplomatic chess game. She has just begun to settle when dashing Henry Austen and his younger sister Jane come to stay. Both take an immediate interest in the pretty clever governess. Despite her best endeavours Anne finds that she is beginning to fall in love. But has her survival at Godmersham Park just become a good deal more precarious?
