The Master and the Maiden is a 2022 historical fiction novel by Tracy Chevalier. It is set in 1814 and tells the story of two young women who are forced to confront their pasts when they meet at a remote country estate.
The novel opens with the arrival of nineteen-year-old Nell Upjohn at Chilbury Manor, the home of her new employer, Mr. Edmund Ravenscroft. Ravenscroft is a reclusive scholar who is obsessed with the study of Anglo-Saxon culture. He is also a widower, with a young daughter named Sophia.
Nell has been hired to be a governess for Sophia, but she soon learns that there is more to her job than she expected. Ravenscroft is also interested in having her help him with his research, and she quickly finds herself drawn into his world of ancient texts and forgotten languages.
As Nell spends more time with Ravenscroft, she begins to learn more about his past. She discovers that he was once a member of the radical group the Diggers, who believed in communal ownership of land. She also learns that he was imprisoned for his beliefs, and that his wife died while he was in prison.
Nell’s relationship with Ravenscroft is complicated by the arrival of another guest at Chilbury Manor: Edward Fosca, a handsome and charming professor of literature. Fosca is immediately drawn to Nell, and she finds herself attracted to him as well.
However, Nell soon begins to suspect that Fosca is not who he seems. She learns that he has a reputation for being a seducer, and that he has been involved in the deaths of several young women.
Conclusion
Nell’s suspicions are confirmed when she discovers that Fosca is responsible for the murder of her friend Zoe. Zoe was one of the maidens who was killed in the woods near Chilbury Manor, and Nell now realizes that she is in danger.
