In which Sarah Leeson, burdened by a solemn secret entrusted to her on a death-bed, resolves to conceal a mysterious letter within the neglected north rooms of Porthgenna Tower, weighed down by fear and guilt as she prepares to leave the household in secret. The narrative follows her furtive actions and consequent departure, leaving unresolved questions and a silent void in the once familiar household.

In which the quiet gloom of a Cornish country-house frames the last hours of a lady whose health and spirit have long been in decline, attended only by a devoted but mysterious maid whose own past seems shadowed by secret sorrow. The heavy air of impending loss is made all the more poignant by ominous instructions and the silent suspense that hangs upon the unwritten words destined for a husband’s eyes alone.