An interesting choice for our book club. The story of Ruby May, or Nurse May as everyone calls her, is well constructed and has a wonderful location as a children's nurse travels to Hardcastle House in West Yorkshire. This is the fictitious home of Mr and Mrs England and their children, close to the real Hardcastle Crags, now National Trust property.
There is a deep mystery surrounding Mrs England, a daughter of the wealthy Greatrex family. She stays in her room most of the time and it is her husband who is Ruby's main contact. There are all sorts of clues to Mrs England's state of mind, especially that Ruby has to lock the nursery door at night. The mystery builds to a dramatic conclusion, although the latter part of the book is all plot that has too much revelation at the end. But the author describes the right atmosphere for the location and the story moves at a good pace. No literary magic, but a solid tale of family secrets.
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