Dark Inheritance

by Roberta Leigh

It was a far cry from London to Crags' Height Barbara Mansfield found, when she came to work as companion to Miss Berresford, the mistress of the remote house in the Welsh mountains. But soon she found herself forgetting the past in the presence of Dominic, Miss Berresford's nephew -- Dominic, whose aloofness she found impossible to penetrate. What was the reason for this challenging reserve? Was it because of Gina de Courcey, that soignee beauty who returned suddenly from Dominic's past? Or was it because of something quite different?

Whatever it was, Barbara knew that her happiness could never be complete until all the barriers between Dominic and herself were broken down.

Genres: Romance, Harlequin Romance, Harlequin

Paperback

Published April 1, 1968

About the author

aka Rachel Lindsay, Janey Scott, Rozella Lake

Roberta Leigh was the most frequently used pen name of an author who also published novels as Rachel Lindsay, Rozella Lake, and Janey Scott. Her birth name was Rita Shulman.

Leigh was one of the first romance writers to introduce strong, career-minded heroines who wouldn't be bossed around by the hero.

Leigh had her own film company and wrote and produced 7 TV series for children. She would also "write" the music for her series, although this usually involved her humming or singing the tune into a tape recorder, after which someone else would arrange and write a score.

She studied oil and watercolor painting with Diana Raphael and Michael Chaitow, who her interest in abstract art. Her work has been exhibited at the Podbury Gallery and Finnegan's Gallery in London.

In 1948, she married Michael Lewin and they had a son, Jeremy. Her husband passed away in 1981.

Reviews

[Naksed · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hero thinks he has inherited madness from his crazy old mum. He feels that this gives him the prerogative to act like a...:



The requisite OW is in fine form in her best performance as a...:



Meanwhile our hapless little heroine is just your typical...:

[Margo · Rating 1 out of 5]

This might be the most egregious, albeit low-stakes, case of an H failing to grovel/apologize for his cruel behavior. He just picks up where he left off before he behaved like complete jackass (Naksed has chosen the perfect word in her review) for weeks. Unless she confronted him, I doubt he would have mentioned it.

[Julie Henke · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was like reading a Bronte novel, gothic in tone, insanity, unsavory relatives, a ladies companion and a depressing, brooding hero. It was a 400+ novel, written in 192 pages for Harlequin Romance in 1968. Worth reading, great characters and a plot with twists and angst.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As mentioned before, Roberta Leigh was a women's writer well ahead of her time. I didn't like her hero this time and the ending grovel was scanty at best. This book had a real dark gothic, heathcliff kind of feel.

[Rongbu]

I like this book. I had read another book of similar plot but this one was much better written.