Inside an occupied city of lavish balls and divided loyalties, a young maid uncovers the whispers that spark an infamous betrayal.
An independent-minded young maid tells the story of social-climber Peggy Shippen and how she influenced Benedict Arnold’s betrayal of the Patriot forces.
Fourteen-year-old Becca enters the grand Shippen mansion expecting polite finishing lessons, only to encounter a household consumed by lavish parties, velvet finery, and restless vanity.
Assigned to tend the petulant, beautiful Peggy, she watches British officers crowd the parlor while Patriot soldiers starve across the river. Behind shuttered windows, she witnesses flirtation harden into dangerous political intrigue as the general arrives with grievances of his own.
Revolutionary Philadelphia is brought to life as Becca seeks to find her “missing pieces” while exploring the complicated issues of the war between the impoverished independence men and the decadent British Tories.
“This tale of treachery comes alive under [Rinaldi’s] pen.”--Kirkus Reviews
- Coming of Age: Fourteen-year-old Becca navigates social expectations, embroidery lessons, and her own search for dignity while serving Philadelphia’s most demanding socialite.
- Colonial America: From the frozen encampment at Valley Forge to the glittering Meschianza festival, the stark contrast between sacrifice and luxury defines a city under siege.
- Class Disparity: Working as a domestic servant, Becca uncovers the bitter friction between Philadelphia’s wealthy merchant class and the impoverished soldiers fighting for liberty.
- Wartime Espionage: When Becca secretly aids a fleeing American prisoner and overhears coded treasonous negotiations, she realizes that divided loyalties threaten her family’s survival.
- Also by This Author: A Break with Charity, The Coffin Quilt and Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons.
