Sarah Leeson

Mrs. Jazeph

Mrs. Jazeph and Sarah Leeson are the same person, creating an internal psychological struggle of identity and concealment.

Rosamond Frankland

Rosamond is the daughter of Sarah Leeson, though she does not know this, creating a poignant hidden bond.

Mrs. Jazeph

Mrs. Jazeph and Sarah Leeson are the same person, creating an internal psychological struggle of identity and concealment.

Mrs. Jazeph

Mrs. Jazeph and Sarah Leeson are the same person, creating an internal psychological struggle of identity and concealment.

Rosamond Frankland

Rosamond is the daughter of Sarah Leeson, though she does not know this, creating a poignant hidden bond.

Rosamond Frankland

Rosamond is the daughter of Sarah Leeson, though she does not know this, creating a poignant hidden bond.

Book I

The servant who hides the secret letter and flees Porthgenna Tower after Mrs. Treverton's death.

The Twenty-Third of August, 1829

Summoned to her mistress's deathbed, she is terrified and hesitant, swears oaths under duress, and hides the secret letter after Mrs. Treverton's death.

II: The Child

Tormented by the secret letter and her oath, she nearly destroys it but is frightened by a moving curtain, then resolves to deliver it.

III: The Hiding of the Secret

Hides the secret letter in the Myrtle Room, writes a farewell note, and resolves to flee Porthgenna Tower.

Book II

Her past actions and secrets continue to influence the present.

Book IV

Her past actions and the hidden letter become a focal point of the chapter.

I: A Plot Against the Secret

Frantically plots to retrieve the hidden letter from the Myrtle Room before Rosamond discovers it; tormented by fear and guilt.

II: Outside the House

Anxious and fearful, she reveals the letter is locked in a container and that she threw the key down a well; she is overwhelmed by memories upon seeing Porthgenna Moor and the church.

III: Inside the House

Desperate to reach the Myrtle Room, she slips away from the group, retrieves the keys, and is paralyzed by a mysterious sound she believes is her late mistress's ghost.

IV: Mr. Munder on the Seat of Judgment

Faints after a frightening experience near the north rooms; trembles and clings to Uncle Joseph, pleading not to be questioned about what scared her.

V: Mozart Plays Farewell

Sarah is anxious and fearful after the encounter at Porthgenna Tower, insists on leaving quickly, and feels the sorrow of parting from her uncle.

Book V

Her past actions and the secret letter are central to the chapter's revelations.

VI: The Telling of the Secret

Sarah Leeson is identified in the letter as the biological mother of Rosamond, having written the letter under Mrs. Treverton's dictation.

Book VI

Her past actions and the hidden letter become a focal point as the Franklands' visit stirs up old memories.

I: Uncle Joseph

Referred to as the niece of Uncle Joseph, the writer of the secret letter and its postscript, and the former servant who hid the letter. Her deteriorating handwriting in letters to Uncle Joseph indicates her declining health and distress.

III: The Story of the Past

Revealed to have been pregnant after a promise to marry miner Polwheal; forced into a lifelong secret by Mrs. Treverton's scheme.

IV: The Close of Day

Ill and suffering from a hallucination at close of day; overjoyed to see Rosamond and shares keepsakes from her past.

VI: The Dawn of a New Life

Recently buried; her weary pilgrimage has ended, and she is remembered at the grave with the miner's headstone.