The Abbot's Ghost, or Maurice Treherne's Temptation: A Christmas Story

Louisa May Alcott ventures into darker territory in this forgotten Christmas gem. Maurice Treherne saved his wealthy cousin Jasper from drowning at sea, sacrificing his own health in the process. Now confined to a wheelchair and stripped of the fortune he was promised, Maurice finds himself disinherited, publicly shamed, and unable to marry the woman he loves. The twist: only Maurice knows why the will was changed, and his silence comes at the cost of his reputation and happiness. When Mrs. Snowdon reappears with connections to Maurice's past, and the ghostly legend of the Abbe begins to haunt the estate, Alcott weaves a tale of hidden guilt, impossible love, and the question of whether honor can survive when the world has decided you are guilty. This is Alcott at her most Gothic, her most romantic, and her most willingness to let her hero suffer before the candles light the way to redemption.