The Protege Author:Charlotte Armstrong Mrs. Moffat lives a secluded life in her charming huge house with a devoted servant, Polly. She is a widow whose only son is dead and whose grandson, Tommy, disappeared seven years ago leaving behind a child bride, Alexandra Terry. "Zan" as Mrs Moffat calls her, has grown from being a pregnant teen with a grudge against society, into a... more » charming and sophisticated businesswoman during the past seven years. Zan has a deep fondness for her ex-husband's grandmother who helped her through a miscarriage and low self-esteem, nursing her for months and encouraging her to begin a business career. Zan now lives in New York but is thinking of relocating to the Pasadena area both to be nearby aging Mrs. Moffat and to be closer to her new love interest, researcher Nicky Pomerance.
A bearded redheaded man introduces himself to Mrs. Moffat at church one day as Simon Warren, claiming to be the grownup little boy who had lived next door to the Moffats twenty years back. Even though his hippie look is miles removed from conventional society, Mrs. Moffat takes a shine to the lad and hires him as a live in gardener. Before long, he has Mrs. Moffat and Polly the housekeeper eating out of his hand, for they are determined to fatten him up and, if he is a criminal, to give him a place to lay low. When Zan finds out about this, feathers fly.« less