Robert Highstead is a post-mortem photographer. His brother contacts him when their cousin Hugh de Bonne, a famous poet dies. He must take the corpse to his home for burial in a stained-glass chapel next to his late wife Ada. Hugh, dealing with issues of his wife Sida, unwillingly takes on the task and travels to the estate with the corpse.
Upon arrival at the estate, he is met by Hugh’s niece Isabelle. She will not allow Hugh to be interred until Robert listens to Ada’s story. She tells him the it will take five nights to complete the story. Robert does not want to stay but agrees to the terms. As the story of Ada and Hugh’s relationship unfolds, Robert is drawn in and needs to know what happened between them. The mystery deepens and Robert unwittingly is drawn in. We find ourselves asking if we really know another person.
This story was full of intrigue and mystery. It kept me guessing and I had to finish it in one sitting to find out how it would end. I highly recommend this book to anyone that likes historical fiction with a mysterious twist.
