The Widow’s Secret by Kate Hewitt. The Goswell Quartet Book 4 FINAL

This was a delightful series. You have to read it in order however to get the nuances and sequence to the stories. England 1766. Abigail is a young woman who has blotted her copybook, ruining her chances for any offer from a respectable, honourable man.It must be said that her only fault was her naivety and innocence and tge man involved was a scoundrel. However it was a tiny town and when she was able to secure an invitation to a dance, her mother was tense with nerves that it would turn into a fiasco. Abigail secured the attention of James, a shipowner who not only seemed prosperous but was a kind and loving husband. The real ramifications of the story begins with her husband presenting her with a six year old slave girl. Adelaide as others insisted she be called brought mayhem to the house but awakened in Abigail maternal feelings which she could not show to anyone, as all expected the child to be treated as a thing not a human. This part of the book was very hard to read, but it was factual, historically accurate depicting faithfully conditions of slaves till the abolitionist movement took sway in society. With James death and Abigail facing penury, a decision to join the Wesleyan movement and adopt Adelaide formally were huge steps for Adelaide who had led such a protected life. This is one story. The parallel story is set in present times, when a mining company finds a wreck and Rachel who is a marine archaelogist is called uponto investigate. In her search for clues, she stumbles upon the story of Abigail and James, their life together and the discovery of what happened to Adelaide. Rachel gerself is in turmoil one with her mother and also with her husband. Rachel's personality is "prickly" not warm or open to affection and everyone around her finds her closed and unapproachable The story of Rachel also finding a way out of her predicaments is also complicated but shows how quickly relationships can be nurtured or irrevocably destroyed. Everything ends well after all the tension. This final story was for me the most interesting read. Not just for the emotional impact but also for the wealth of historical information. Sent by Bookouture for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.