A surprising invitation

Kate Malvern is rescued from penury by her aunt Minerva, who brings her to stay at Staplewood. But the household is strange and strained — Kate's uncle lives in his own private wing, and her handsome, moody cousin Torquil lives in another.

A dark family secret

As bizarre events unfold and Kate begins to question the reasons for her aunt's unexpected generosity, she has no one to confide in but her cousin Philip. Sympathetic though he may appear, will he tell her what she most needs to know… before it's too late?