The Woman In The Mirror: A haunting gothic story of obsession, tinged with suspense

The Woman In The Mirror: A haunting gothic story of obsession, tinged with suspense
Rebecca James

‘A dark treat’ Kate Riordan, author of The Stranger

Haunting and moving, The Woman in the Mirror is a tale of obsession tinged with suspense, perfect for fans of Tracy Rees and Lulu Taylor.

You’ll be the woman of this house, next, miss. And you’ll like it.’

1947

Governess Alice Miller loves Winterbourne the moment she sees it. Towering over the Cornish cliffs, its dark corners and tall turrets promise that, if Alice can hide from her ghosts anywhere, it’s here.

And who better to play hide and seek with than twins Constance and Edmund? Angelic and motherless, they are perfect little companions.

2018

Adopted at birth, Rachel’s roots are a mystery. So, when a letter brings news of the death of an unknown relative, Constance de Grey, Rachel travels to Cornwall, vowing to uncover her past.

With each new arrival, something in Winterbourne stirs. It’s hiding in the paintings. It’s sitting on the stairs.

It’s waiting in a mirror, behind a locked door.

REBECCA JAMES was born in 1983. She worked in publishing for several years before leaving to write full-time, and is now the author of eight previous novels written under a pseudonym. Her favourite things are autumn walks, Argentinean red wine and curling up in the winter with a good old-fashioned ghost story. She lives in Bristol with her husband and two daughters.

Copyright (#ulink_f798638f-768a-5fa6-ada2-cd110c14214d)

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2018

Copyright © Rebecca James 2018

Rebecca James asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Ebook Edition © June 2018 ISBN: 9781474073172

For the little soul

who wrote this book with me.

Shade of a shadow in the glass,

O set the crystal surface free!

Pass – as the fairer visions pass –

Nor ever more return, to be

The ghost of a distracted hour,

That heard me whisper, ‘I am she!’

MARY ELIZABETH COLERIDGE

Contents

Cover (#ud5cf124b-f1ba-5a81-a6b6-b05d8a8a54c3)

About the Author (#ulink_736f2e76-193c-5564-a488-b8a9058b343e)

Title Page (#ufa0be1cf-6f0b-5a20-bb34-7afdc4032afa)

Copyright (#ulink_c13c4588-6424-564c-84c9-ee606adb1e73)

Dedication (#u65c902a6-56b7-540e-9202-329a018fc74b)

Prologue (#ulink_d9a50190-38cf-565f-96bc-9409138cef1e)

Chapter 1 (#ulink_487a60a7-c6b1-5f2b-88e7-759061d0a74b)

Chapter 2 (#ulink_3d6305de-84f7-5962-9cfa-2b55e38db319)

Chapter 3 (#ulink_87dedeae-dd10-5785-9ffc-d969d4a412f4)

Chapter 4 (#ulink_2d3da5da-5537-599b-83a2-f28e8701afb1)

Chapter 5 (#ulink_2e93fe7a-4519-5647-8001-33156bfd6975)

Chapter 6 (#ulink_1f22fe70-49fa-5089-9448-c4a62a9beaa9)

Chapter 7 (#ulink_1882741b-9fa9-5da2-ad79-89086de50519)

Chapter 8 (#ulink_7d4b508c-e931-5000-adfb-8f327db80916)

Chapter 9 (#ulink_7c451664-d73c-5b26-8638-1d7fe3278e6b)

Chapter 10 (#ulink_ca1d94f1-a9a0-5f46-9538-251a3cfb1c61)

Chapter 11 (#ulink_a99627df-d26b-5655-9154-ec8897c5d13a)