diff --git a/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/src/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Abstractions/ISecretActorAccessor.cs b/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/src/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Abstractions/ISecretActorAccessor.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9f8f1dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/src/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Abstractions/ISecretActorAccessor.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+namespace ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Abstractions;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Resolves the current principal (the ZB.MOM.WW.Auth identity) for audit attribution when a
+/// secret is resolved. A consumer wires this to whatever surfaces the ambient caller — an HTTP
+/// context accessor, an actor context, a CLI identity, etc. A <c>null</c> <see cref="CurrentActor"/>
+/// (or no accessor at all) is treated as the <c>"system"</c> actor by the resolver, so keyless /
+/// background resolutions are still attributed rather than left blank.
+/// </summary>
+public interface ISecretActorAccessor
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The current principal to record as the audit <c>Actor</c>, or <c>null</c> when no
+    /// principal is available (treated as <c>"system"</c>).
+    /// </summary>
+    string? CurrentActor { get; }
+}
diff --git a/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/src/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/DefaultSecretResolver.cs b/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/src/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/DefaultSecretResolver.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5325258
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/src/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/DefaultSecretResolver.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+using System.Collections.Concurrent;
+using ZB.MOM.WW.Audit;
+using ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Abstractions;
+
+namespace ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// The default <see cref="ISecretResolver"/>: loads an encrypted row from the store, decrypts it
+/// on demand, and serves it from a short-lived in-memory cache. Every resolution — hit, miss, or
+/// tombstone — emits an <see cref="AuditEvent"/> recording <b>which</b> secret was accessed and the
+/// outcome. The plaintext value is <b>never</b> placed in any audit field.
+/// </summary>
+/// <remarks>
+/// <para>
+/// <b>Security note — the cache holds decrypted secret material in process memory.</b> The TTL is
+/// deliberately kept short (configured by the caller / DI) so plaintext lives only briefly and a
+/// rotation or revocation is picked up quickly. <see cref="Invalidate"/> lets the write path evict
+/// an entry immediately after a rotate or delete. The cache is keyed by the normalized
+/// <see cref="SecretName.Value"/> and is safe for concurrent use.
+/// </para>
+/// <para>
+/// A missing or tombstoned secret is <b>not</b> an exception: <see cref="GetAsync"/> returns
+/// <c>null</c> and audits a <see cref="AuditOutcome.Failure"/> with a <c>not-found</c> action, so a
+/// consumer can distinguish "absent" from "present" without a throw on the hot path.
+/// </para>
+/// </remarks>
+public sealed class DefaultSecretResolver : ISecretResolver
+{
+    private const string SystemActor = "system";
+    private const string AuditCategory = "Secrets";
+    private const string ResolveAction = "secret.resolve";
+    private const string NotFoundAction = "secret.resolve.not-found";
+
+    private readonly ISecretStore _store;
+    private readonly ISecretCipher _cipher;
+    private readonly IAuditWriter _audit;
+    private readonly TimeSpan _cacheTtl;
+    private readonly ISecretActorAccessor? _actorAccessor;
+    private readonly TimeProvider _timeProvider;
+
+    // Keyed by SecretName.Value. Holds DECRYPTED plaintext — kept only for the short TTL.
+    private readonly ConcurrentDictionary<string, CacheEntry> _cache = new(StringComparer.Ordinal);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Creates a resolver over the given store, cipher, and audit writer.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="store">The encrypted-row store to read from.</param>
+    /// <param name="cipher">The cipher used to decrypt a loaded row.</param>
+    /// <param name="audit">The audit sink; one event is written per resolve (never the value).</param>
+    /// <param name="cacheTtl">
+    /// How long a decrypted value is cached in memory. Keep this short — it is plaintext secret
+    /// material. A non-positive value effectively disables caching (every entry is already expired).
+    /// </param>
+    /// <param name="actorAccessor">
+    /// Optional accessor for the current principal to attribute the audit to; a <c>null</c> accessor
+    /// (or a <c>null</c> <see cref="ISecretActorAccessor.CurrentActor"/>) is recorded as
+    /// <c>"system"</c>.
+    /// </param>
+    /// <param name="timeProvider">The clock (defaults to <see cref="TimeProvider.System"/>).</param>
+    public DefaultSecretResolver(
+        ISecretStore store,
+        ISecretCipher cipher,
+        IAuditWriter audit,
+        TimeSpan cacheTtl,
+        ISecretActorAccessor? actorAccessor = null,
+        TimeProvider? timeProvider = null)
+    {
+        _store = store ?? throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(store));
+        _cipher = cipher ?? throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(cipher));
+        _audit = audit ?? throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(audit));
+        _cacheTtl = cacheTtl;
+        _actorAccessor = actorAccessor;
+        _timeProvider = timeProvider ?? TimeProvider.System;
+    }
+
+    /// <inheritdoc />
+    public async Task<string?> GetAsync(SecretName name, CancellationToken ct)
+    {
+        string key = name.Value;
+        DateTimeOffset now = _timeProvider.GetUtcNow();
+
+        // 1) Serve from cache while the entry is still live.
+        if (_cache.TryGetValue(key, out CacheEntry cached) && now < cached.ExpiresUtc)
+        {
+            await AuditSuccessAsync(name, source: "cache", ct).ConfigureAwait(false);
+            return cached.Plaintext;
+        }
+
+        // 2) Load the encrypted row.
+        StoredSecret? row = await _store.GetAsync(name, ct).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        if (row is null || row.IsDeleted)
+        {
+            await AuditNotFoundAsync(name, ct).ConfigureAwait(false);
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        // Decrypt on demand and cache the plaintext for the short TTL.
+        string plaintext = _cipher.Decrypt(row);
+        _cache[key] = new CacheEntry(plaintext, now + _cacheTtl, row.Revision);
+
+        await AuditSuccessAsync(name, source: "store", ct).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        return plaintext;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Evicts the cached plaintext for <paramref name="name"/>, if any. The admin / write path
+    /// calls this immediately after a rotate or delete so a stale value is not served for the
+    /// remainder of its TTL. Not part of <see cref="ISecretResolver"/>; cheap and idempotent.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="name">The secret whose cache entry to remove.</param>
+    public void Invalidate(SecretName name) => _cache.TryRemove(name.Value, out _);
+
+    private Task AuditSuccessAsync(SecretName name, string source, CancellationToken ct) =>
+        WriteAuditAsync(name, ResolveAction, AuditOutcome.Success, $"{{\"source\":\"{source}\"}}", ct);
+
+    private Task AuditNotFoundAsync(SecretName name, CancellationToken ct) =>
+        WriteAuditAsync(name, NotFoundAction, AuditOutcome.Failure, "{\"reason\":\"not-found\"}", ct);
+
+    private Task WriteAuditAsync(
+        SecretName name, string action, AuditOutcome outcome, string detailsJson, CancellationToken ct)
+    {
+        // NOTE: only the secret NAME and the outcome are recorded — never the decrypted value.
+        var evt = new AuditEvent
+        {
+            EventId = Guid.NewGuid(),
+            OccurredAtUtc = _timeProvider.GetUtcNow(),
+            Actor = _actorAccessor?.CurrentActor ?? SystemActor,
+            Action = action,
+            Outcome = outcome,
+            Category = AuditCategory,
+            Target = name.Value,
+            DetailsJson = detailsJson,
+        };
+
+        return _audit.WriteAsync(evt, ct);
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>A cached decrypted secret and its expiry (revision kept for future invalidation).</summary>
+    private readonly record struct CacheEntry(string Plaintext, DateTimeOffset ExpiresUtc, long Revision);
+}
diff --git a/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests/DefaultSecretResolverTests.cs b/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests/DefaultSecretResolverTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e7202c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests/DefaultSecretResolverTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,158 @@
+using System.Text.Json;
+using ZB.MOM.WW.Audit;
+using ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Abstractions;
+using ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Crypto;
+using ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests.Fakes;
+
+namespace ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests;
+
+public class DefaultSecretResolverTests
+{
+    private static readonly TimeSpan Ttl = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Builds a real encrypted row for <paramref name="plaintext"/> using the real cipher, then
+    /// stamps a revision + timestamps (the cipher leaves those at defaults) and optionally tombstones
+    /// it, so tests exercise the true decrypt path rather than a fake.
+    /// </summary>
+    private static StoredSecret MakeRow(
+        AesGcmEnvelopeCipher cipher, SecretName name, string plaintext, bool deleted = false)
+    {
+        StoredSecret row = cipher.Encrypt(name, plaintext, SecretContentType.Text);
+        return row with
+        {
+            Revision = 1,
+            CreatedUtc = DateTimeOffset.UnixEpoch,
+            UpdatedUtc = DateTimeOffset.UnixEpoch,
+            IsDeleted = deleted,
+            DeletedUtc = deleted ? DateTimeOffset.UnixEpoch : null,
+        };
+    }
+
+    private static (DefaultSecretResolver resolver, CountingSecretStore store, CapturingAuditWriter audit,
+        AesGcmEnvelopeCipher cipher, MutableTimeProvider clock) NewSut(ISecretActorAccessor? actor = null)
+    {
+        var cipher = new AesGcmEnvelopeCipher(new FakeMasterKeyProvider("k1"));
+        var store = new CountingSecretStore();
+        var audit = new CapturingAuditWriter();
+        var clock = new MutableTimeProvider(DateTimeOffset.UnixEpoch);
+        var resolver = new DefaultSecretResolver(store, cipher, audit, Ttl, actor, clock);
+        return (resolver, store, audit, cipher, clock);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Get_ReturnsDecryptedPlaintext_AndAuditsSuccess()
+    {
+        var (resolver, store, audit, cipher, _) = NewSut();
+        var name = new SecretName("sql/foo");
+        store.Seed(MakeRow(cipher, name, "hunter2"));
+
+        string? value = await resolver.GetAsync(name, CancellationToken.None);
+
+        Assert.Equal("hunter2", value);
+        AuditEvent evt = Assert.Single(audit.Events);
+        Assert.Equal(AuditOutcome.Success, evt.Outcome);
+        Assert.Equal("sql/foo", evt.Target);
+
+        // Hard guarantee: the plaintext must NEVER appear in any serialized audit field.
+        foreach (AuditEvent captured in audit.Events)
+        {
+            string json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(captured);
+            Assert.DoesNotContain("hunter2", json, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+        }
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Get_CachesWithinTtl()
+    {
+        var (resolver, store, _, cipher, _) = NewSut();
+        var name = new SecretName("sql/foo");
+        store.Seed(MakeRow(cipher, name, "hunter2"));
+
+        string? first = await resolver.GetAsync(name, CancellationToken.None);
+        string? second = await resolver.GetAsync(name, CancellationToken.None);
+
+        Assert.Equal("hunter2", first);
+        Assert.Equal("hunter2", second);
+        Assert.Equal(1, store.GetCount); // second call served from the TTL cache
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Get_ReloadsAfterTtlExpiry()
+    {
+        var (resolver, store, _, cipher, clock) = NewSut();
+        var name = new SecretName("sql/foo");
+        store.Seed(MakeRow(cipher, name, "hunter2"));
+
+        await resolver.GetAsync(name, CancellationToken.None);
+        clock.Advance(Ttl + TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1)); // past the TTL
+        await resolver.GetAsync(name, CancellationToken.None);
+
+        Assert.Equal(2, store.GetCount);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Get_MissingSecret_ReturnsNull_AuditsFailure()
+    {
+        var (resolver, _, audit, _, _) = NewSut();
+
+        string? value = await resolver.GetAsync(new SecretName("sql/absent"), CancellationToken.None);
+
+        Assert.Null(value);
+        AuditEvent evt = Assert.Single(audit.Events);
+        Assert.Equal(AuditOutcome.Failure, evt.Outcome);
+        Assert.Contains("not-found", evt.Action, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Get_TombstonedSecret_ReturnsNull()
+    {
+        var (resolver, store, audit, cipher, _) = NewSut();
+        var name = new SecretName("sql/dead");
+        store.Seed(MakeRow(cipher, name, "hunter2", deleted: true));
+
+        string? value = await resolver.GetAsync(name, CancellationToken.None);
+
+        Assert.Null(value);
+        AuditEvent evt = Assert.Single(audit.Events);
+        Assert.Equal(AuditOutcome.Failure, evt.Outcome);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Invalidate_RemovesCacheEntry()
+    {
+        var (resolver, store, _, cipher, _) = NewSut();
+        var name = new SecretName("sql/foo");
+        store.Seed(MakeRow(cipher, name, "hunter2"));
+
+        await resolver.GetAsync(name, CancellationToken.None); // caches (count 1)
+        resolver.Invalidate(name);
+        await resolver.GetAsync(name, CancellationToken.None); // cache gone → reload (count 2)
+
+        Assert.Equal(2, store.GetCount);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Get_DefaultActorIsSystem_WhenNoAccessor()
+    {
+        var (resolver, store, audit, cipher, _) = NewSut(actor: null);
+        var name = new SecretName("sql/foo");
+        store.Seed(MakeRow(cipher, name, "hunter2"));
+
+        await resolver.GetAsync(name, CancellationToken.None);
+
+        Assert.Equal("system", Assert.Single(audit.Events).Actor);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Get_UsesActorFromAccessor()
+    {
+        var (resolver, store, audit, cipher, _) = NewSut(new FixedActorAccessor("alice"));
+        var name = new SecretName("sql/foo");
+        store.Seed(MakeRow(cipher, name, "hunter2"));
+
+        await resolver.GetAsync(name, CancellationToken.None);
+
+        Assert.Equal("alice", Assert.Single(audit.Events).Actor);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests/Fakes/CapturingAuditWriter.cs b/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests/Fakes/CapturingAuditWriter.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0da2d7d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests/Fakes/CapturingAuditWriter.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+using System.Collections.Concurrent;
+using ZB.MOM.WW.Audit;
+
+namespace ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests.Fakes;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// An <see cref="IAuditWriter"/> test double that collects every <see cref="AuditEvent"/> written,
+/// so a test can assert on the audit trail (outcome, target, and — critically — that no plaintext
+/// ever appears in any field).
+/// </summary>
+public sealed class CapturingAuditWriter : IAuditWriter
+{
+    private readonly ConcurrentQueue<AuditEvent> _events = new();
+
+    /// <summary>The events captured so far, in write order.</summary>
+    public IReadOnlyList<AuditEvent> Events => _events.ToArray();
+
+    /// <inheritdoc />
+    public Task WriteAsync(AuditEvent evt, CancellationToken ct = default)
+    {
+        _events.Enqueue(evt);
+        return Task.CompletedTask;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests/Fakes/CountingSecretStore.cs b/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests/Fakes/CountingSecretStore.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1ffd006
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests/Fakes/CountingSecretStore.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+using System.Collections.Concurrent;
+using ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Abstractions;
+
+namespace ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests.Fakes;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// An in-memory <see cref="ISecretStore"/> test double that counts <see cref="GetAsync"/> calls so
+/// a test can prove a resolver cache hit (or miss). Only the read path exercised by
+/// <c>DefaultSecretResolver</c> is meaningfully implemented; the mutation / replication members
+/// throw so an accidental dependency on them fails loudly rather than silently no-ops.
+/// </summary>
+public sealed class CountingSecretStore : ISecretStore
+{
+    private readonly ConcurrentDictionary<string, StoredSecret> _rows = new(StringComparer.Ordinal);
+    private int _getCount;
+
+    /// <summary>The number of times <see cref="GetAsync"/> has been invoked.</summary>
+    public int GetCount => Volatile.Read(ref _getCount);
+
+    /// <summary>Seeds (or overwrites) a row keyed by its normalized name.</summary>
+    /// <param name="row">The encrypted row to seed.</param>
+    public void Seed(StoredSecret row) => _rows[row.Name.Value] = row;
+
+    /// <inheritdoc />
+    public Task<StoredSecret?> GetAsync(SecretName name, CancellationToken ct)
+    {
+        Interlocked.Increment(ref _getCount);
+        _rows.TryGetValue(name.Value, out StoredSecret? row);
+        return Task.FromResult(row);
+    }
+
+    /// <inheritdoc />
+    public Task UpsertAsync(StoredSecret row, CancellationToken ct) =>
+        throw new NotSupportedException();
+
+    /// <inheritdoc />
+    public Task<bool> DeleteAsync(SecretName name, string? actor, CancellationToken ct) =>
+        throw new NotSupportedException();
+
+    /// <inheritdoc />
+    public Task<IReadOnlyList<SecretMetadata>> ListAsync(bool includeDeleted, CancellationToken ct) =>
+        throw new NotSupportedException();
+
+    /// <inheritdoc />
+    public Task<IReadOnlyList<SecretManifestEntry>> GetManifestAsync(CancellationToken ct) =>
+        throw new NotSupportedException();
+
+    /// <inheritdoc />
+    public Task ApplyReplicatedAsync(StoredSecret row, CancellationToken ct) =>
+        throw new NotSupportedException();
+}
diff --git a/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests/Fakes/FixedActorAccessor.cs b/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests/Fakes/FixedActorAccessor.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..15b1f21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests/Fakes/FixedActorAccessor.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+using ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Abstractions;
+
+namespace ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests.Fakes;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// An <see cref="ISecretActorAccessor"/> test double that reports a fixed (or <c>null</c>) actor.
+/// </summary>
+public sealed class FixedActorAccessor : ISecretActorAccessor
+{
+    /// <summary>Creates an accessor that always reports <paramref name="actor"/>.</summary>
+    /// <param name="actor">The actor to report, or <c>null</c>.</param>
+    public FixedActorAccessor(string? actor) => CurrentActor = actor;
+
+    /// <inheritdoc />
+    public string? CurrentActor { get; }
+}
diff --git a/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests/Fakes/MutableTimeProvider.cs b/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests/Fakes/MutableTimeProvider.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..592e60d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests/Fakes/MutableTimeProvider.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+namespace ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests.Fakes;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// A <see cref="TimeProvider"/> test double with a settable <see cref="GetUtcNow"/>, so a test can
+/// advance the clock past a cache TTL deterministically without sleeping.
+/// </summary>
+public sealed class MutableTimeProvider : TimeProvider
+{
+    private DateTimeOffset _utcNow;
+
+    /// <summary>Creates a provider starting at the given instant (defaults to the Unix epoch).</summary>
+    /// <param name="start">The initial <see cref="GetUtcNow"/> value.</param>
+    public MutableTimeProvider(DateTimeOffset? start = null) =>
+        _utcNow = start ?? DateTimeOffset.UnixEpoch;
+
+    /// <summary>Gets or sets the current UTC instant this provider reports.</summary>
+    public DateTimeOffset UtcNow
+    {
+        get => _utcNow;
+        set => _utcNow = value;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>Moves the clock forward by <paramref name="delta"/>.</summary>
+    /// <param name="delta">The amount to advance.</param>
+    public void Advance(TimeSpan delta) => _utcNow += delta;
+
+    /// <inheritdoc />
+    public override DateTimeOffset GetUtcNow() => _utcNow;
+}