Poor orphan Sara Belding bridles at the high-handed assumption of her relatives, Lady Mallingham and her handsome nephew Brant Deverleigh, that she would be happy to live with them, and escape a life of servitude. But as time goes by, the thought of being separated from Brant becomes harder and harder to imagine.
Severity reflects intensity, not value — “central theme” means a warning is a core part of the book, not that the book is bad.