Young Musgrave

"Young Musgrave" by Mrs. Oliphant is a story set in the 1800s that centers on the Musgrave family and their ancestral home, Penninghame Castle. The novel tells the story of Mary Musgrave, who finds herself in charge of the family estate and dealing with complex emotions and family obligations after years of hardship. The story begins by introducing Penninghame Castle and shows that Mary, along with her father, must face the difficulties brought on by the troublesome past of her older brother, John Musgrave. After so much solitude and pain caused by John's actions, the castle is mostly empty, with only Mary left to handle the estate. Mary thinks about how her family has suffered, and a big change happens when her brother's children, Lilias and Nello, arrive unannounced, forcing her to balance her father's stubborn loyalty to old problems with the new family relationships that have emerged. This prepares Mary to take on the role of not just the estate's caretaker but also a mother figure.