This is Dorothy Doar's story, one of five stories that make up The Housekeeper's Tale.

As one of the cabal that ran the estate of the Duke of Sutherland, this is an evocative and poignant story providing a moving insight into the life of a woman whose life was lost amongst account books and inventories. Her defining moment is that she was a housekeeper who, after fourteen years' loyal service, fell spectacularly foul of her employers. The year was 1832, a time of great political upheaval in Britain. Dorothy Doar was a small but vital cog in the enormous machine servicing the wealthiest, most powerful and probably most disliked family of her day.

Her uniform was the black bombazine dress and bunch of keys that symbolized all that Victorian society held dear. Though Mrs Doar proved that these symbols of sobriety, dependability, and morality were just a cloak. Inside, she was human.