The Governess

The Governess is a moderately entertaining drama set in the 19th century. After her father's death, a passionate and fearless young Jewish woman, Rosina, must either marry an older fishmonger or earn her own money. Rosina chooses the lesser of two evils. She passes herself off as a good Christian and gets a position as governess with the Cavendish family at a manor house on the Isle of Skye, an island in the north of Scotland, right out at the back of beyond. There she is to teach the daughter of the house, Clementina, with whom she soon becomes good friends.

Rosina, alias Mary Blackchurch, is an intelligent young lady, so she becomes involved in Henry Cavendish's scientific work on developing photography, and before long she also becomes passionately involved with him. The master of the house, however, is tormented by being at the mercy of his senses. Charles' son Henry, on the other hand, is utterly infatuated with Rosina, and he is not shy about showing her, but she does not harbour the same feelings for the lad as for his father. This love triangle must of course come to a dramatic end.

Rosina is a modern woman in the 18th century. In that respect she is admirable, but at the same time not a very realistic character.