Flash Of Splendour

by Anne Stevenson

1848 — mystery and violent passion shatter the quiet of a Warwickshire village.
Hugh put his hands on Anne’s waist and lifted her down from the stile. She was close to him, smelling of the freshness of the sun, her eyes mysterious in the shadow of her hat. He kissed her. He kissed her with a year’s longing and with no pretence of anything but loving her; loving her and no longer pretending he could overcome it.

“Marry me,” he said.

Anne looked up at him. “But I am marrying Laszlo Bathory,” she replied.

Hugh released her, so suddenly she almost stumbled. “Find him, then,” he said abruptly, and walked away.

Anne waited for him to return. But he did not. He did not even look back.

Genres: Suspense

464 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Felicity Avery (Anne Stevenson, pen name) was born in Cardiff in 1928, she read History at St. Anne’s at the University of Oxford from 1946 to 1949. After her degree, she worked as historical archivist for the Holland-Martin banking family, before turning to journalism and fiction, which was initially published in the form of short stories and serials in magazines and journals. Composed under the nom de guerre of Anne Stevenson, her first novel, Ralph Dacre, was immediately snapped up by Billy Collins in 1967 and quickly became a best seller. It was followed by eight further novels that spanned various genres from thrillers to historical sagas. She has variously been compared to Mary Stewart and, in her pared-down shorter fiction, to Graham Greene and during her most prolific years in 1960s and 1970s, she gathered a considerable number of loyal readers for her intelligent, well-crafted thrillers.

She was married to the economic journalist and naval historian, Ronald Avery (1915-1996) and spent the last years of her life in Oxford, before losing her fight with breast cancer in 2008. She is survived by her daughter, Anne Louise, and grandson, Inigo. There are plans to republish her works in the next couple of years, following a resurgence of interest in her fiction.