orphan girl, Estranged uncle, medaling housekeeper who knows the truth

I'm looking for a book maybe set in the 1800's-1900's. I read this in the early 2000's. A girl (8-13?) is orphaned and shows up at her wealthy estranged uncles house. He doesn't believe she his niece and puts her to work as a servant in his house. The housekeeper is not nice to her but she is determined to prove herself. She does become somewhat friends with another servant around her own age while there. Turns out that the housekeeper has been intercepting the letters the girls mother had been sending over the years and has been taking the girls possessions. The housekeeper has also tried to get the other servant girl to frame her of steeling. There is a cliff near the house? The mood was a bit dark academia-ish.

I haven't come up with anything yet, but this sounds incredibly familiar and is making my brain itch a bit, so I'm posting to make sure I follow up in a bit.

Just commenting in the hopes more people might see this and help me

I was thinking about this last night and haven't come up with anything yet but will keep at it!

>4 beyondthefourthwall: Thank you for keeping this story in mind. it has bugged me for years and i would love to know the name! I have little details like pink ribbons or a pink dress that i think the house keeper takes from here. the other keep sakes from her mother i think are a brush and mirror, could be wrong on that part though.