During Gilly Ramsey s lonely childhood, the occasional brief visits of her mother s cousin were a delight, seeming likevisits of a fairy godmother. Years later, when Gilly inherits Thornyhold, her house, she discovers that her cousin, with her still room and herbalist practicesand her undoubted powershad long been known to the locals as a witch. She is approached by neighbors, some innocent, some not so innocent, but all assuming that she, too, is a witch, and a possible addition to the local coven. Gilly finds there is some truth in this, forshe discoversthat she can call on a kind of power in difficult moments. This wonderful novel from bestselling author Mary Stewart is delicate in its perception of a young woman s falling in love, delightful in its portrayal of the English countryside, and skilled in its creation of a world full of magic."