Clemence: The Schoolmistress of Waveland

Clemence Graystone's father is buried and her family's fortune has vanished with him. Left to fend for her ailing mother in the small town of Waveland, she must find work where none exists for a gentlewoman. She secures a position as schoolmistress, but dignity is harder to come by than employment. The neighbors remember when her family hosted galas. Now they watch to see if she'll crack under the weight of their pity. This is a novel about what poverty costs a woman who was raised to expect more, and the small daily acts of courage required to survive when everything has been taken. The bond between Clemence and her mother forms the heart of the story, two women navigating grief and falling fortunes together, holding onto each other as the world shifts beneath their feet.