Gwen Archer does not fear the curse of Dredthorne Hall. Instead it is the message she must deliver that gives her pause: she will inform her future brother-in-law, Christopher, that her sister has run away.

But what Gwen discovers at the Hall is far worse than being the bearer of bad tidings. She finds Christopher’s older brother, the reticent and rude Robert Sheraton, there to greet her. Now she must impart her unwelcome news to him instead.

To her shock though, the man that she meets is not the Robert that she remembers. Instead he seems the perfect host. But as her stay at the hall lengthens, and she and Robert draw close, strange accidents beset her. Soon she must watch every shadow and listen at every door, lest the Ghosts of Dredthorne envelop her in their dark embrace.

Rumors swirl around Dredthorne Hall like snowflakes in a blizzard: the handsome war hero who lives there never sleeps; he never allows women to enter; worst of all, the Hall is haunted. But Meredith Starling will hear none of it. Instead she finds it enchanting.

Though prone to accidents and mishaps, Meredith rides by the Hall at every opportunity. For her the rundown manor evokes a grander time. She looks past the broken gate and moss covered statues and sees the imposing facade’s elegant lines and graceful charm. In fact, she is determined to see inside.

But Colonel Alistair Thorne rebuffs all callers without exception—and not for the sake of being a recluse. He avoids women because of his family curse. The master of Dredthorne is doomed to fall in love with a lady who spends a night at the Hall. Though love would be welcome, its consequences would not. All of the mistresses of Dredthorne have vanished, gone mad, or suddenly died.