The Secret Woman (novel)
The Secret Woman is a Gothic romance and suspense novel written by English author Eleanor Hibbert under the pseudonym Victoria Holt. It was originally published in 1970 and is considered to be a bestseller. Set in 1887, it chronicles Anna Brett's scandalous romance with the married ship captain Redvers Stretton. As they sail across the South Seas, tensions build among Anna, Redvers, and everyone else on-board The Serene Lady, and a mystery involving murder, the destruction of ship called The Secret Woman, and a missing fortune of diamonds begins to unravel. Plot summary Anna Brett was born in India, due to her father being in the Indian Army, and when she was about eight years old her parents moved her to live in Langmouth, England with her Aunt Charlotte into what is referred to as the Queen's House. While in Langmouth, Anna was educated and began to learn the ways of Aunt Charlotte's antique business as she grew up. On one autumn night, a sailor named Redvers Stretton comes to see Anna and their romantic interest in each other starts to grow. As Aunt Charlotte grows older and weaker, she hires a nurse, Chantel Loman, to look after her. Chantel