In a matter of months she had been orphaned and left penniless. Now destitute and alone, she came to the old mansion--Gryphons ... to fill the post of companion to the elderly Mrs Clune, mistress of the estate. -- It seemed the only road open to Rowena. The position meant a new home and a new family. Maybe even a little happiness. -- But Gryphons quickly showed itself as something other than gracious and charming. there was something sinister trapped in the house. A mysterious tension and foreboding that made Rowena feel like an intruder.

Then, one day, Mrs Clune was found dead...murdered. Rowena no longer was an intruder. She was part of Gryphon's secret. And for her there seemed no escape.