The Darkening Leaf

Fans of Stickland's four earlier novels--one of which, The Standing Hills (1986), was nominated for several historical fiction awards--will be mesmerized by her new gothic romance. Set in Dorset, England, in 1847, the novel is driven by two women with substantial independence and grit: gifted artist and loyal friend Philobeth Alleyn, and horrifically evil Ellen Farebrother. The story is compelling from its first scene, in which Philobeth and her lover, aristocratic Frederick North, are pressing their carriage over a gale-swept coast road and come upon a grisly shipwreck. Only one body has washed ashore--a naked woman, presumed dead. To prevent looters from cutting off her fingers to get at her jewel encrusted rings, the couple have the corpse carried to their carriage, where they discover the woman, who calls herself Ellen, is alive. After Frederick brings her home to his grandmother's estate to recuperate, she cleverly insinuates herself into their lives. Frederick falls under her enchantment, and his grandmother, anxious to get the ""unworthy"" artist Philobeth out of her noble grandson's heart, takes the stranger to her bosom. By the time Frederick is on to Ellen, it might be too late for him to keep his land and win back Philobeth. Through her well-developed characters and beautifully detailed settings (including a convict ship bound for Australia), Stickland upends rigid 19th- century morality, exposing how loyalty can be punished and treachery rewarded. (July)