The Stormy Petrel

Rose Fenemore is taking a break from her Cambridge teaching post in an isolated cottage on the island of Moila. One evening, she is shocked to discover an attractive stranger, Ewen Mackay, in her kitchen, who claims to have grown up in the cottage. She is tempted to believe him, when another man seeks shelter from the storm. John Parsons also rouses Rose's skepticism...and more tender feelings as well. And as the truth about the two men unfolds, the stormy petrels, fragile elusive birds who fly close to the waves, come to symbolize Rose's confusion and the mystery of her future.... From the Paperback edition.

Mary Stewart was born in Sunderland, County Durham, England, but lived for many years in Scotland, where she divided her time between Edinburgh and the West Highlands. Lady Stewart's career as a novelist began in 1956 with Madam, Will You Talk? She went on to publish 20 novels, all bestsellers, including her Merlin trilogy about the legendary enchanter Merlin and the young Arthur (The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment, and The Wicked Day), and The Stormy Petrel and Thornyhold. Her books for children include The Little Broomstick, Ludo and the Star Horse, and A Walk in Wolf Wood. She also published a book of poetry entitled Frost on the Window. Stewart died in 2014.