This is an absolute gem of a story, a beautiful feel-good novella that hits all of the right buttons. At less than 100 pages, it's also easily read in one sitting. This is not a romance novel, but it is a love story: a powerful testament of the healing power of pure, familial love.

Miss Lucretia Ward is an aging spinster lady, dependent on her sister as a poor relation. She lives with her sister, Carrie, and her niece, Luella; they treat her as little more than a maid-of-all-work. Aunt Crete is responsible for the cooking, cleaning, mending, and organization of the household. She's been told all her life that she must earn her keep, and this she does without complaint, even with Carrie and Luella constantly blaming everything bad about their lives on Crete. Crete was much closer to her other sister, Hannah, who married and unfortunately moved out West, leaving Crete at the mercy of her selfish relations.

Luella is a social climber, albeit a pretty inept one; she has set her cap at Clarence Grandon, scion of a powerful New York family. Luella insists that her family toe a very thin line to boost her chances with Clarence, and has an absolute comeapart when the family receives a telegram from the long-dead Hannah's son, Donald Grant, who announces that he's traveling East and wants to meet them for the first time. Luella insists that Donald can be little more than a "backwoods country cousin" and his sudden appearance will absolutely ruin her, socially. She convinces her mother that they need to leave for the Jersey shore now, before Donald arrives, so she can further her plans for grabbing Clarence's attention.

Crete isn't going with her sister and niece; she's never accompanied them, always being left behind to her interminable chores. She doesn't mind, this time, however; she is thrilled with the idea of meeting Hannah's son and could care less how much of a country bumpkin he may be. She secretly delights in the idea of having him all to herself for a few days.

So Carrie and Luella depart, running into a handsome young man at the station who immediately catches Luella's eye. He seems to be studying her quite curiously as well, which she takes as a feather in her cap. She makes a few disparaging remarks about "running away from her backwoods cousin," which the young man overhears.

This man is, of course, Luella's cousin, Donald Grant. Far from being a country bumpkin, he is instead quite urbane and cultured - and rich, having struck gold in the Klondike. Donald travels on to his relatives' house and is absolutely delighted to meet Aunt Crete, who welcomes him with open arms. She lets slip that Carrie and Luella are at the shore, which confirms Donald's suspicions that he *had* inadvertently met them at the train station. After breakfast, he insists that Crete take a nap, which she very reluctantly does, and Donald intercepts a phone call from the whiny Luella, who's calling to give Crete a bevy of last-minute orders. She talks so much and so fast that she doesn't let him get a word in edgewise, and doesn't realize that she's showing her ass to her cousin. Donald is incensed by this barrage of demands, and pieces together how badly Carrie and Luella treat Crete. He's determined to (1) care for his beloved Aunt as she's never been cared for before, and (2) give his cousin a little payback.

Donald wheedles details from Crete about where their relatives have gone, and convinces her that she, too, deserves a vacation at the ocean. Crete is mesmerized by the idea of seeing the ocean, and is absolutely overwhelmed when Donald sets out to fit her up with brand new clothes (she wears Luella's hand-me-downs) and a travelling trunk. The scenes where the two are shopping are just beautiful, as we slowly see Aunt Crete blossom into her own woman, with even the subtlest changes to her wardrobe. She doesn't have to look dumpy and old; she can be elegant and beautiful. She takes a beautiful, innocent childlike delight in everything, which only makes Donald love her all the more and wish for nothing but her happiness. He's determined to give Crete everything that had been held back from her over the course of her life.

He frames their vacation to the shore as a chance to "surprise" their relatives there. He does want to meet these awful, selfish women who treat Crete so badly, if only to determine if his worst fears are true. So he plans quite carefully, but never maliciously. He and Crete are staying at the same hotel as Carrie and Luella; Donald's wealth means that they can stay on a beautiful floor with ocean views, while penny-pinching Carrie and Luella are basically in a room over the kitchen in the back alley. Donald takes Crete down to the beach and they go swimming, which Crete absolutely adores. He hires a French maid to assist Crete with dressing for dinners, and proudly introduces her to all of his friends - for he has lots of friends, in quite high (society) places, including Luella's beloved Clarence Grandon.

Carrie and Luella don't even recognize Crete when they see her, and they watch her quite enviously before Donald makes his move to bring the family together. Carrie and Luella are such obvious, grasping wannabees that they do more harm than good in their quest to meet Quality, but of course they don't realize how obvious they are. Crete, on the other hand, has taken to elegant company like a fish to water; she is naturally kind, calm, and sweet, and her attitude as much as her clothes transform her physical being.

Donald brings Carrie and Luella to the suite of rooms he's sharing with Crete and the sparks fly. They are exceptionally angry that the beautiful woman they've been admiring is their poor relation! Not even a lovely evening at dinner and a show can warm their envious hearts; when they all return to the hotel, Luella and Carrie sneak back to Crete's room and basically ream her out for even daring to put a foot on the same shore as them, and in such costume, no less! Luella really lets loose; she reaches almost total catharsis in taking out all her woes and jealousy at her sweet old aunt.

Donald overhears it all and basically puts a stop to the nonsense - but not by sinking to Luella's level. He challenges them as to why they think Crete doesn't deserve everything he's given her, of his own free will. Learning that he's rich - and BFFs with Clarence Grandon - just makes Luella and Carrie even more upset, because they realize what idiots they have been in service to their prejudices. They go back to their own room to stew in the mess they've created, now with the knowledge that Clarence Grandon is also engaged to someone else and barely even knows who Luella is (ha!).

Crete is also upset by their rantings and ravings, even though she has been dreading just such a scene ever since they arrived on the shore. Donald then tells her that what he really wants to do is take her away from the drudgery of her current life. He wants her to go back West with him, and basically be his mother - to serve as hostess and chatelaine of his house (with an army of servants to direct), to accompany him on his business trips to Europe and other exotic locales, to take up any hobbies or interests she wants at her leisure; and basically live her own life on her own terms.

This is basically Crete's dream come true, and she accepts in a heartbeat. Donald has shown her the other side of life and convinced her that she deserves it, and she welcomes it with open arms. She is such a sweet creature, and Donald is so loving and caring, that it's just a beautiful scene.

Donald announces their 'partnership' to his relatives, and continues to treat his aunt and cousin to treats, trinkets, and events before he and Crete depart. Carrie and Luella believe that Crete will come back to them and hand over all of her lovely gowns to Luella, but they soon realize they no longer have power over her. The ending is just *chef's kiss* perfect.

I can definitely see this little story become an all-time favorite re-read. It is the right kind of religious fiction: there is no explicit "God stuff" wedged in; instead, Donald models perfectly how to treat his awful relatives with Christian kindness, and how living your best life really is the sweetest revenge.

I'd recommend this to anyone who needs an uplifting story. ( )