In Hugger-Mugger

In Hugger-mugger tells the story of how two women from opposite ends of the social order, both constrained by their gender and position, have to hide their accomplishments and their marriages to survive in Elizabethan England.

In Hugger-mugger follows the lives of two women, one a countess and the other a commoner, as they try to survive in a world where all females are regarded as inferior and where the Crown determines their fate. Lady Mary Sidney, although highly educated and a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth, is not free to pick her husband or publish works that do not conform to the accepted standard of propriety for women. Sarah Burton, daughter of a country doctor, is a brilliant woman who must hide her intellect and suppress her desire to study medicine. Their lives intertwine when Sarah saves the life of Lady Mary's cousin and together the women conspire to smooth the path to their goals.

Joyce Consolino Gatta is a retired English teacher and college professor. She earned a B.A. from Boston University, an M. Ed. from Northeastern University and an M. Ed. in Special Education from Lesley University. From 1964-2002 she taught English and reading at the high school level. She then worked as an author and speaker for Stevenson Learning Skills and went on to teach English Literature at Middlesex Community College in Bedford, Massachusetts. She has written occasional articles for the Woburn Daily Times and a screenplay Housebroken. This is her first novel. She lives in Hudson, Massachusetts.