The House in Dormer Forest

In the depths of Dormer Forest, nestling in a valley, lies Dormer Old House, inhabited by the Drake family, Solomon and Rachael with their four grown children: intense, idealistic Jasper, Ruby, pretty but silly, black-eyed Peter and the odd one out, Amber, a girl with a genius for loving - and laughing. There too lives cousin Catherine of the slanting eyes, whose pleasure it is to ensnare men's hearts. Brooding over all is the great matriarch, Grandmother Velindre, with her religious texts and reprimands, her beady eye ever upon the five young people in serach of love and happiness. As the fate of each unfolds it is Amber who emerges triumphant: one still June morning, she is found under a blossom tree by a strange and noble manMany of the best things in life seem to come to us simply by chance, and it was certainly chance which first brought me into contact with Mary Webb. On the eve of departure some years ago for Australia I was given Precious Bane by a friend whose opinion I greatly trust, and it so impressed me that, in addition to recommending it to all my friends, I wrote to the author and told her that I had read nothing more inspiring in modern literature. This started what to me was a most interesting correspondence.