Behind a Mask

"Behind a Mask" is an 1866 novella by American author Louisa May Alcott, originally published under the pseudonym of A. M. Barnard. The story takes place in Victorian England and centres around Jean Muir. Muir is the sly governess of the Coventry family who, through masterful manipulation, manages to attain respect, love, and finally the entire fortune of the wealthy family she serves. Louisa May Alcott (1832 - 1888) was an American short story writer, novelist, and poet most famous for writing the novel "Little Women", as well as its sequels "Little Men" and "Jo's Boys". She grew up in New England and became associated with numerous notable intellectuals of her time, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Henry David Thoreau.