The Master of Phoenix Hall

The Master of Phoenix Hall is a gothic romance by the American writer Jennifer Wilde, published in 1968. It uses the standard furniture of the form, an inheritance, a house with a history and a heroine with nobody to advise her, and adds a locked drawer to the list.

Angela Todd is a young seamstress struggling to support herself in London when she inherits a charming cottage in the country. The legacy gives her everything she has ever wanted, and she is determined to keep it even after a series of cruel pranks, strange accidents and shrill threats make it plain that somebody wants her to leave Dower House.

Two men take an interest in her. Greg Ingram, the local schoolmaster, is protective and kind; Roderick Mellory, who is obsessed with the lavish reconstruction of Phoenix Hall next door, is arrogant and determined to have Dower House back for himself. When Angela finds an old diary, a pistol and a strange key hidden in a secret drawer, it becomes clear that one of the two genuinely loves her and the other does not.