Elizabeth Gaskell has long been one of the most popular Victorian novelists, and these entrancing short stories are full of variety and originality. In 'Cousin Phillis', the narrator, Paul, is fascinated by his beautiful country cousin. But when he introduces her to the worldly Edward Holdsworth, he sets in motion a train of events that leads to heartbreak. The other five tales range from a touching story of a mother's love for her missing daughter to an historic tale of an aristocratic family; an old lady's memories of her girlhood in the New Forest during the French Revolution; a bleak winter story set in Westmoreland and a tale of a tragic secret brought vividly to life.