Someone At A Distance

I adored this book. It was written in the 1950's by someone named Dorothy Whipple. It's first of all a story of a little old wealthy grumpy lady who takes in a French girl for 'light household duties and French conversation'. The direction the book took after that was completely unexpected in some ways and completely predictable in others. The old woman dies, the French girl inherits some money and goes to stay for a bit with the son and his family.....not knowing this author, not having a cover jacket filled with spoilers I was never sure where it was going. An old fashioned ending in some ways but in some ways quite modern.