Behind a Mask; or a Woman's Power

Louisa May Alcott, a native of the United States, wrote the novella Behind a Mask, or A Woman's Power. The many thrillers and mysteries that Alcott authored under the alias A. M. Barnard include this one.The affluent family employs a young woman called Jean Muir to be the governess of sixteen-year-old Bella in the Victorian-era drama Coventry Mansion. When Jean first meets the Coventrys, she uses a fainting spell to win over Bella, Ned, and Mrs. Coventry. Gerald and Lucia, a son of the estate and a relative of the Coventry family, are nevertheless wary. They have good reason to be cautious because when Jean goes to her bedroom, she takes off her disguise-a wig and some false teeth-revealing that she is truly an actress who has been working for at least thirty years.Jean weasels her way into the Coventry family's hearts by portraying herself as a kind governess. All of the male characters eventually fall in love with her: Ned, the youngest, first, then Gerald, the sceptic, and ultimately John, the unassuming uncle. She manipulates their affection for her to set them against one another and ultimately win the Coventry estate for herself. By the time the novel is over, Jean Muir has wed John and is now Lady Coventry.