In Jennifer Wilde's classic Gothic romance, an actress takes on the most dangerous role of her life when she poses as the wife of the potential heir to a great estate Jennifer Randall notices him immediately—the strikingly attractive stranger at the stage door. When he makes her an outrageous offer, she turns him down flat. But soon after, her employer's unwelcome advances force her to quit the theatre troupe. With no choice but to accept Edward Baker's proposition, the unemployed actress is soon visiting London's finest dressmakers in preparation for the starring role of her career. All she has to do is pretend to be his wife for six months. At Mallyncourt, Jennifer becomes caught up in Edward's tangled family history. His tyrannical uncle has pitted him against his cousin Lyman in a contest that will end with one of them being named heir to the magnificent estate. Lyman's beautiful wife, Vanessa, resents being locked away in the countryside, and their daughter, Lettice, prefers the company of her dolls to that of her family. But Jennifer's charade becomes chillingly real when she is stalked by a killer who could bring down her final curtain.