The House in the Shadows — Carolyn McKnight

Orphaned Amanda Wallace journeys to the home of her only remaining relatives in the Hudson River Valley where she is put to work as a servant and meets Blaisdale Spain, a painter, and his wife, Platz, and wealthy friend, Micah Van Deusen.

Orphaned with only her horse Jillie as a companion, Amanda makes the hard journey north to Nethercliffe, the home of her last living relatives. It doesn't take long for her to realize that there is danger here -- Amanda stumbles upon a woman's corpse along the way -- and when she arrives she is forced to work as a servant in the Wallace household. Indeed, there is something very wrong at Nethercliffe, something ominous in the ways of Ezra Wallace and his family, something in the shadows that seems to watch her wherever she goes. Her days are dark until she meets neighbor Blaisdale Spain, a charming old painter of the period, and his housekeeper Platz. Amanda also meets the wealthy and mysterious Micah Van Duesen who interrogates her about her past. There are ugly rumors about him, but Amanda will have to wait to learn the truth.