All in the Dark

At Gilroyd Hall, a quiet old house near Saxton, William Maubray returns each holiday to the eccentric care of Aunt Dinah Perfect and the lively company of Violet Darkwell. Their affectionate, teasing household balances warmth with sharp tempers, and William's deep attachment to this unusual domestic world gives the novel its emotional center. But Gilroyd Hall is not merely a place of comfort: Aunt Dinah's fascination with spiritualism, séances, and ghostly messages slowly turns familiar family life uncanny. As William grows into manhood and Violet into graceful womanhood, the story darkens with rumor, illness, and inherited tension. Aunt Dinah summons William back, claiming she is near death and has urgent affairs to settle, while her strange references to "table" divinations and hidden messages unsettle everyone around her. William's grief, the doctors' evasions, and Violet's quiet relief at his skepticism create a mix of comedy, suspense, and tenderness. Elsewhere, the arrival of Vane Trevor and the probing curiosity of the Kincton Knox family stir up talk of Winston Maubray, Sir Richard's failing health, and a possible family connection that may alter everything. Beneath the wit and domestic squabbles, the novel builds toward revelation, recognition, and the fragile bonds of love and inheritance. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.