The Painter — Mary Kingswood

The sinking of the Brig Minerva results in many deaths, while for others, the future is suddenly brighter. But it's not always easy to leave the past behind…

Felicia Oakes is the illegitimate daughter of… well, someone or other. A pirate, perhaps, or a spy, or a royal prince… who knows? Her vivid imagination conjures a myriad possibilities, all more exciting than her position as governess to two motherless children. But when their father is drowned aboard the Brig Minerva, Felicia must take them to their new guardian in the North of England, where her life is about to be turned upside down.

The Earl of Finlassan has turned his back on the world to pursue his art, and the prospective guardianship of two young girls horrifies him. He soon finds that it's not his wards who unsettle his life, it's their governess, who is irritatingly impertinent with a distractingly mischievous smile. Gradually he finds himself drawn out of seclusion by his new muse. But when danger strikes, they will have to uncover the past before they can look to the future.

This is a complete story with a HEA. Book 4 of a 6 book series. A traditional Regency romance, drawing room rather than bedroom.