The Fair Mississippian

Following his father's death and the collapse of his family's fortune, brilliant young scholar Edward Desmond accepts a position as a tutor on a remote Mississippi plantation. His new employer is the beautiful and regal widow Honoria Faurie, whose immense wealth is governed by the strict, peculiar terms of her late husband's will. Thrown into a world of languid luxury that contrasts sharply with his own financial ruin, Desmond struggles with his pride and his growing, forbidden attraction to the lady of the house.

The opulent but isolated Great Oaks Plantation holds more than just social challenges. Desmond's nights are disturbed by a furtive, whispering footstep on the stairs-a sound the family attributes to "Old Slip-Slinksy," the mansion's resident ghost. As Desmond investigates the strange occurrences, he is drawn deeper into the family's secrets, particularly the odd, nocturnal behavior of Mrs. Faurie's uncle, Mr. Stanlett.

When a violent encounter with river pirates brings Desmond and Mrs. Faurie closer, the line between employer and employee blurs. The discovery of a hidden document threatens to upend the family's entire future, forcing them to confront the truth behind the haunting and the true nature of their feelings for one another in this classic Gothic romance of secrets, suspense, and love on the Mississippi.