This quiet is shattered. As Davenant earns Pettie's instant, consuming love, so Mrs. Iveson earns Pettie's wrath. Mrs. Iveson decides to move from London to Quincunx House to care for her granddaughter, removing any need for a nanny. To Pettie, this makes Mrs. Iveson the enemy. In the grip of obsession, Pettie makes long, daily journeys to unseen corners of Quincunx House land, spying on Davenant as he works in the garden and Mrs. Iveson as she sits with the baby.
Brilliant suspense develops.
I will say what ultimately takes place caught me by surprise. Trevor thinks outside of standard plot-lines and cares nothing for stock drama. He's done it again, I thought as I finished this small masterpiece. The payoff is a concluding scene of breathtaking emotional power, a conversation in a room in Quincunx House that will make readers ache at life's sadness and the way we all protect our inner selves, speaking less than what we truly feel. Phil Hanrahan is a writer and reviewer who lives in New York City.