A Perfect Fool: A Novel

A young woman and her widowed mother, reduced to straitened circumstances, take positions in an imposing house where the proprietor keeps a reclusive, mentally disturbed man confined to an upper wing. Household tensions—between the owner, his attendant, and wary locals—unravel through portraits, alarms, secret letters, and charges of blackmail. The arrival of a captivating stranger and emerging attachments complicate loyalties; a sudden disappearance and disclosure of past intrigues force shifting alliances. Investigations and emotional confrontations bring hidden truths to light, producing a final reckoning that resolves misunderstandings and restores personal and social balance.