The story is set in 1816 as Earl St. Just, lord of Tremaine returns to his family manor in Cornwall, with his pampered wife Hetty and her hired companion Lady Pamela in tow. The St. Just marriage, an arranged affair, is an unhappy one and St. Just finds himself falling in love with the dark and beautiful lady Pamela as they become wrapped up in unraveling the secrets of the local witch covens -- are these women truly harmless, or is there a more sinister plot involved?
All in all an entertaining albeit very short read - I honestly would have liked to see the whole thing fleshed out more than what I got in 200 pages. Lots of things that go bump in the night, wicked storms along the Cornwall coast stirred up by the witch's coven along with a few red herrings misleading the reader to who the real baddies are makes up for a pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon -- although I would have loved to have seen what Du Maurier could have done with this one. 3.5/5 stars.