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When Favel Farrington met Roc Pendorric on the Italian island where she lived with her father, they fell deeply in love, and there was no reason to suspect that they would not live happily ever after. Then Faval's father was drowned while swimming, a circumstance that was as puzzling to Favel as it was heartbreaking. No one could have been more devoted during these sad days than Roc, and when he took her home to Pendorric, the ancient family home on the Cornish cliffs, no family could have welcomed her more warmly than Roc's sister, her husband, and twin daughters. In fact everyone in the house and the village was eager to meet "the bride of Pendorric".At first the phrase amused Favel. Then she found herself looking more and more often at the portraits of two other Brides of Pendorric who had died young and tragically - one of them Roc's own mother. The very stones of Pendorric seemed to be waiting for her to slip; the courtyard seemed to have eyes. And was there speculation even in the eyes of the young twins, who watched her constantly? Did she imagine it, or was Roc curiously attentive to other women at Pendorric - and did his absence grow more frequent? Surely no legend, no evil out of the past could threaten their happiness. Surely Roc's love for her had not been pretense.At last, in a terrifying moment, Favel can no longer dismiss as accident the strange things that are happening to her at Pendorric. She must confront the very real dangers of the present.
A young woman finds her idyllic marriage to a wealthy aristocrat unraveling as she discovers the dark, potentially lethal history surrounding his ancestral home. Favel Farrington, a naive bride brought to the isolated Cornish estate of Pendorric, must navigate a web of family secrets and suspicious accidents that mirror the tragic fates of her predecessors. As she observes the unsettling behavior of her husband, Roc, and the watchful eyes of his relatives, she struggles to determine if she is suffering from paranoia or if she is the next target of a sinister legacy. The narrative unfolds through Favel's first-person perspective, emphasizing her growing isolation and the claustrophobic atmosphere of the cliffside estate.
This work is widely regarded as a quintessential example of the mid-century Gothic romance genre, characterized by its focus on domestic suspense and the 'damsel in distress' archetype. The narrative relies heavily on the classic trope of the mysterious, brooding husband and the foreboding ancestral home that hides dark secrets. Readers often note the effective use of the Cornish landscape to mirror the protagonist's internal state of dread and confusion. The book remains a staple for those interested in the evolution of romantic suspense, as it balances traditional mystery elements with the psychological tension typical of Victoria Holt's writing style.
Page Count:
288
Publication Date:
1963-01-01
Publisher:
Fontana
ISBN-10:
0006168116
ISBN-13:
9780006168119
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