Ellie and Henry are young, rich, in love, and engaged. In the carefree days before marriage and new responsibility, Ellie is happy to accept hereccentric Aunt Kate's request that shehouse-sit atKate's palatial estate in Burton, Virginia. With its nearly invisible housekeepers and plethora of pets, Ellie feels right at home. Conventional Henry, however, finds Aunt Kate and her lifestyle a little hard to take, and so he departs. After he leaves, Ellie realizes that there are disturbing secrets about the local aristocracy buried in a dusty old book she has carried into the mansion--some thatextend to her own family.
Suddenly, Ellie's interest in the past is attracting a slew of unwelcome guests--some of them living and some, perhaps, not. Unwittingly, she has aroused a terrible vengeance that is now aimed at her.
Elizabeth Peters (1927-2013) was a New York Times bestselling author whose novels were often set against historical backdrops. She earned a PhD in Egyptology at the University of Chicago. She also wrote bestselling books under the pseudonym Barbara Michaels.
Grace Conlin (1962-1997) was the recording name of Grainne Cassidy, an award-winning actress and acclaimed narrator. She was a member of the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, DC, and won a Helen Hayes Award in 1988 for her role in Woolly Mammoth's production of Savage in Limbo.