Под маской, или Сила женщины by Louisa May Alcott

A Woman's Power

A sharp, psychological novella about Jean Muir, a seemingly meek governess and former actress who insinuates herself into a genteel but struggling household and quietly uses her acting skill, intelligence, and controlled duplicity to expose hypocrisy, manipulate family loyalties, and seize power from complacent authority; the story probes class and gender expectations and shows how performance and will can overturn social pretenses.