What a great find and a nice little treat-just in time for Halloween! Harriette Mead accepts a post as governess to the daughters of the haughty Warringtons of Perbroke Square. Once installed in her room in the attic Harriette's nighttime peace is constantly disturbed by the mysterious banging from the adjacent house occupied the very reclusive Mr. Hardware, while her daylight hours are distracted by the attentions of the Warrington's son Robert. Harriette believes Robert loves her, but well folks we all know better than that when it comes to the governess and the master's son....

Anyway, the strange noises lead Harriette to investigate and this leads her into several mysteries, spine chilling bumps in the night and near misses (ooh, what she found in the attic room, let alone the bloodied hand that grasped at her skirt!!), and it all eventually leads to a country estate with a ghost or two (or are there ghosts?), a curse laid upon a family by a long dead smuggler and more as Laker weaves a nicely crafted tale perfect for a stormy October night. Certainly not her best, but a highly entertaining read, albeit short one at 200 pages. Out of print, but if you can find a used copy cheaply or at the library go for it. ( )