Anne finds employment as a typist at Northfield House, the grand country manor of the Wellington family. Her employer, the wheelchair-bound Mr. Wellington, is kindly. His haughty wife is not. He has two handsome sons, the wry and dashing Thomas and the dark and somber Owen. Anne feels sure her prayers have been heard. Until the terrifying night she stumbles upon a tortured spirit roaming the dark halls of Northfield, a spirit that only she can see. In a search for answers, she finds herself drawn to Owen as they unearth a tragic story from the Wellington family's past-a beautiful young bride gone missing on her wedding day. England, 1922 Times are hard. Anne Chatham is a clever, modest young woman with little money, no prospects for marriage, and a never-shared secret-she can see spirits. Then tragedy strikes again on the night of a glittering masquerade ball... The Vanished Bride of Northfield House was completely suspenseful and fascinating! With England's slow movement away from the class system, even in 1922 a woman without a prominent family name could hardly make a living, and not many people really cared. So even a mean mistress and scary ghosts had to be tolerated by Anne Chatham-she had to keep her job at all costs! I can't imagine just moving in with strangers as part of my employment and being completely subject to their schedule, their whims, and at their mercy. What do you do if you need a midnight snack? And to have a house large enough that you can close off a whole wing and not even miss it? Crazy! But I have indoor plumbing and central heat, so I win.
Not giving those things up, even for a huge manor and servants. Anyway, the story revolves around Anne and Owen's quest to find out what really happened to Owen's aunt when she disappeared many years earlier. There are twists and tangles, secrets and lies galore throughout the tale! The paranormal aspect is quite sufficiently spine tingling to make Bubby stay glued to Mr. Bubby's side for at least a week of nighttimes!Any excuse to stay glued to Mr. Bubby's side will do. Honestly, though, there were a few spooky scenes, and I will claim right now that I knew where the vanished bride had ended up the whole time.
Brilliant, she is, and I've always said so.Aww! I will admit that the answers to the rest of the mystery were quite a surprise. And we got a lovely happy ending, for most people. Others....not so much.
The Vanished Bride of Northfield House totally entertained me and kept me guessing. I wasn't sure about the true nature of any of the players' characters, except Anne, until the very end. You readers will love this engrossing book, which combines mystery and the paranormal with satisfying romance.I look forward to reading more novels from Phyllis M. Newman. Anyone who writes this well on their first foray into historical fiction is sure to be a favorite of many! Don't forget to click HERE for a chance to win a copy of this spine-tingling tale!
