Hannie Bennet has arrived at the situation she dreads most: she is a woman of a certain age, recently widowed, and her only prospect for protecting herself and all she holds dear is to marry again. And soon.In Ned Renvyle she finds her perfect foil. It is not love, certainly, but marriage offers other comforts. They enter their union clear-eyed, each making certain accommodations and gaining certain benefits. Hannie believes that this time she can make it work. But their move to Ned's ancestral home in the Irish countryside brings vexations Hannie never imagined - judging eyes, ancient secrets, a brooding and beautiful landscape. Hannie also has a secret of her own, and even this remote and stately country life cannot contain it entirely. A visitor unleashes a maelstrom of jealousy, deceit, blackmail, and terror, and the violence scarcely contained by age-old understandings becomes the true crucible for a marriage's strength. Read Less