The Smuggler's Bride

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. Four stars.

Bride to one man - bewitched by another.From the moment young Harriette Mead first laid eyes on Benedict Sutcliffe on the streets of Regency London, she felt the spell of this powerfully built, darkly handsome man. But only many months later - deep in the lonely quiet of the English countryside - did she learn the true depth of his hold on her. Harriette was a widow now - after a strange, brief marriage to a dying old man. She had come to the crumbling old manor of Bryony Lodge to take possession of her mysterious legacy. There Benedict Sutcliffe was waiting... to warn her of the cruel curse of the past.. to be her guide in a world of primal terror so far from the aristocratic elegance of London.. to be her loving protector as inexorably she was drawn toward the nightmare abyss so cunningly prepared to receive her body and drown out her screams...