There is a legend at Menfreya that one of the early Menfreys concealed his mistress in the house and that she was killed by a jealous wife. Ever after the clock on the tower has stopped when a Menfrey is about to die.
To young Harriet Delvaney, lonely, self-conscious about her slight limp, Menfreya, standing on the Cornish coast, had always spelled happiness and excitement. It was there - with her best friend Gwennan Menfrey, high-spirited daughter of the family - that Harriet had taken refuge from her father's indifference and cruelty. It was there she had admired from afar Bevil Menfrey, heir to Menfreya and heir, too, to all the handsome charm that gave the Menfrey men their reputation as philanderers. Harriet longed to become poised, desirable, able to command his love.
At her father's death Harriet finds herself extremely rich. She has learned to cover her shyness with a witty tongue and to understand that one does not need conventional blue eyes and ringlets to be beautiful. She is, after all, a catch for Bevil Menfrey and when he does ask her to marry him her cup of happiness seems to be full. When Bevil runs for parliament, Harriet knows that she is the wife he needs, capable of helping him in his career.
But there are still whispers of the old gossip in the village. Doubts begin to invade Harriet's mind and wherever she turns she seems to meet fresh evidence of Bevil's past. Has he really reformed? And does he love her - or simply need her money for the almost bankrupt estates? How much truth is there in the legend of the Menfrey men and their mistresses?
When Bevil brings to Menfreya, as a governess, one of his former loves, Harriet - like that long ago wife - is tortured with jealousy. Suddenly the legend takes on a personal and terrifying meaning and in desperation Harriet turns to the one person she can trust . . . but is there really anyone now she can trust?
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