Wayfaring Daughter
is a Southern Gothic ghost story by Quieta.
Fleeing from a broken past and a trail of crimes, Rosannah Semple takes a job as a maid and governess for a wealthy Southern family who treat her as darkly as the secrets they hide.
Tropes in this work include:
- Beware the Nice Ones: Rosannah is the quietest and most gentle woman you'd ever meet, but she killed her husband point blank with a rifle and battered a corrupt Marshal within an inch of his life.
- Bigot with a Crush: Despite his deep enmity towards women, Robert finds himself falling in love with Rosannah... and takes it out on her.
- Corrupt Cop: US Marshall Jeremiah Crawford, who makes a habit of sexually abusing the female criminals he takes in.
- Country Mouse: Rosannah is from a rural Ozark community and is shocked at how big and opulent Savannah is.
- Creepy Blue Eyes: All the Beauforts have blue eyes. They're described as pale, icy and colorless.
- Domestic Abuse: What kicks off the whole plot, when Rosannah Semple kills her abusive husband.
- The Fundamentalist: Robert Beaufort is the fire-and-brimstone head of the Beaufort family, and considers women to be born of sin.
- Ghostly Goals: Blanche's is to solve her murder and finally move into the afterlife.
- Haunted Heroine: Rosannah, who also deals with Demonic Possession from the spirits of Bethlehem Hall.
- Haunted House: Bethlehem Hall is filled with restless spirits.
- Horrible Hollywood: When Robert contracts out Bethlehem Hall to a film crew, the cast is is invaded by California stereotypes.
- Impoverished Patrician: The Beauforts, starting when Clement Beaufort lost his fortune during the civil war. Robert is always running around trying to make ends meet, Letitia Took a Third Option and married into money.
- Not Good with Rejection: Leland is rejected rather harshly by Rosannah, and is so livid about he drugs and rapes her.
- Parental Substitute: Rosannah becomes one to Linney Belle, whose revolving door of nannies left her withdrawn and mistrustful.
- The Sociopath: Leland, although more lazy than malevolent. He spends his days racing horses and gambling away what little money his family has.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: The first thing Linney Belle says when introduced to Rosannah is "You're not going to be here long."
- Wight in a Wedding Dress: Blanche appears to Rosannah wearing the wedding dress she was killed in.
