Can the shadowy darkness of a haunted inn bring two lonely people together? Miss Clara Pennington has devoted herself to maintaining her brother’s household while he focused on his political career. But when her brother abruptly informs her that he intends to marry, her position becomes untenable. Realizing that her brother means to force her into the role of companion and keep most of her inheritance for himself, Clara takes matters into her own hands and seeks a husband the only way a spinster like herself can—by placing a personal ad in the paper. Simon Ravenau has recently sold out his commission and returned to England to claim the estate he inherited from his aunt. He needs a wife, someone to help him put his affairs in order. But he’s no patience for society or the traditional methods courtship. Stumbling across Miss Pennington’s ad, he replies and their courses are set. They arrange for an elopement and to meet at the Ancient Ram Inn in Wotten-Under-Edge, neither of them understanding what fate and that dark place might have in store for them. The Ancient Ram Inn is haunted by many spirits—some of this world and some of a much darker origin. And when the young couple finds themselves trapped there overnight, alone with forces they cannot name and facing their worst fears, they must rely on one another. Will the intimacy of their situation and the evil they are facing bring them together? Or will it destroy any chance they have of finding happiness together? (Note: This story was first published as part of the USA Today Bestselling Boxed set, Upon a Midnight Dreary, October 2021)