The Wedding Guest

“Her ornate, Gothic tone will appeal to fans of the genre.” — Publishers Weekly When Elinor Findon is orphaned, she joins the household of her father's half-sisters, but her father's tales of the gay days in an Edwardian English country home did not prepare her for the genteel poverty and eerie atmosphere of Hoodman House and the aunts she hardly knows. Kelda is a widow, while beautiful May waits by the gate for her fiancé, whom others have long presumed dead, to return home from WWI. Elinor becomes increasingly aware of the secrets binding the two aunts and the part played in perpetuating them by the charmingly manipulative May. Determined to escape this hothouse life and her aunts' tenacious grasp, Elinor falls in love and plans to marry. But she is unable to ignore the mysteries surrounding Hoodman House, and she continues to ask questions that may put her at risk. Praise for The Wedding Guest: “The twists of plot propel the reader through the story, which is certain to captivate those who like their romance tinged with suspense.” — Library Journal “Slightly spooky, romantic, and nicely characterized. A small gem.” — Booklist “A cut above the usual romantic or Gothic novel.” — The Virginia Quarterly “This is a fascinating tide of obsession in which Gilbert employs the same stratagem she used so successfully in her earlier novels — that of a terrible discrepancy between appearances and reality Gilbert writes knowledgeably of nineteenth-century England, and her well-developed characters are set believably within that framework.” — Library Journal “A solid, persistent Gaslight-style chiller: one of Gilbert’s most entertaining, persuasive efforts.” — Kirkus Reviews “Good characterization, an unromantieized view of Victorian England, and ever-quickening pace make this a spellbinding tale.” — Library Journal Anna Gilbert was born Marguerite Jackson on 1 May 1916 in Durham, England, UK, daughter of Hannah and John Jackson, an inspector of schools. On 1937, she obtained a BA with honours and on 1957 a MA at Durham University. She worked as Grammar school English teacher from 1938 to 1973. On 5 April 1956, she married Jacob "Jack" Lazarus. She published Children's fiction as Marguerite J. Gascoigne and later gothic romance novels as Anna Gilbert. Marguerite died at 88, on 24 September 2004 in North Yorkshire, England. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles, please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.

From Publishers Weekly

A young woman's adventures as she uncovers a long-buried secret are the basis of British writer Gilbert's ( The Long Shadow ) latest novel in the historical/romance/suspense genre. When Elinor Findon is orphaned, she joins the household of her father's half-sisters, but her father's tales of the gay days in an Edwardian English country home did not prepare her for the genteel poverty and eerie atmosphere of Hoodman House and the aunts she hardly knows. Kelda is a widow, while beautiful May waits by the gate for her fiance, whom others have long presumed dead, to return home from WW I. Elinor becomes increasingly aware of the secrets binding the two aunts and the part played in perpetuating them by the charmingly manipulative May. Determined to escape this hothouse life and her aunts' tenacious grasp, Elinor falls in love and plans to marry. But she is unable to ignore the mysteries surrounding Hoodman House, and she continues to ask questions that may put her at risk. Gilbert's ending is anticlimactic, and her passive heroine a little too oblivious to clues, yet her ornate, Gothic tone will appeal to fans of the genre. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

When Elinor Findon is orphaned, she arrives, as a young woman, at her father's ancestral home to live with her two aunts, women barely older than herself but locked in the Edwardian age with terrible family secrets that Elinor must uncover--lest they bury her as well. Gilbert is masterly at creating an ominous aura, then allowing it to waft away, only to resurface as evidence unfolds of past sins. Elinor cannot decide if her Aunt May is a conniving murderess or simply a grief-stricken woman who will never recover from the loss of her dearest love in the first world war. Her life, and others, may well depend upon her decision. Slightly spooky, romantic, and nicely characterized. A small gem. Denise Perry Donavin

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