The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

Lavinia is a traumatized little Irish girl, arriving at Tall Oaks plantation after the death of her parents. Belle, household slave, takes on the role of mothering Lavinia, indentured servant. Grissom develops her characters early and their growth through the written word keeps the reader enthralled. "Seeing" the South in the late 1700's through the eyes of these narrators provides a glimpse of the compassion and cruelty of servants and slave owners. A great read.