The Crimson Gown by Quenby Olson

Lydia Hunt is familiar with the concept of sin. Reared beneath the strictures of religious zealotry and abuse, she has heard again and again that her nature is wicked and her soul bound for eternal damnation. But when she is sent to work at Mowbray Hall, ancestral home of the enigmatic Lord Cailvairt, Lydia begins to fear just how wicked she might be. 

 For although Cailvairt makes no effort to hide his pursuit of her, his insistence on challenging the ideals imposed upon her as a child―even while speaking to her as an equal―leaves it difficult for Lydia to resist his attentions. As her inhibitions crumble away and the foundation of her beliefs threatens to falter, she must determine if giving into temptation will destroy her... or be the act that saves her.

I loved this book. The language is beautiful and draws you into historical England with all that follows. The upstairs and downstairs. Lords and servants. Forbidden love, sin even. I'm loving it. This is really a book of my own taste. I wish I could write like this!The characters are complex and have depths that make them real and likable.

The ending leaves me wanting more, which is a good thing. I want to know what happens next.