A Sicilian Romance — Ann Radcliffe

A Sicilian Romance is a gothic novel first published more than two hundred years ago in 1790 Set in the late sixteenth century it s the story of two sisters Julia and Emilia the daughters of the fifth marquis of Mazzini After the death of the girls mother the marquis marries again and as his second wife prefers to spend her time in Naples he leaves his daughters living alone in his ancient castle in Sicily with only the servants for company When their father returns to the island and informs Julia that he has arranged a marriage for her she rebels against his choice of husband putting her life in danger Meanwhile several of the castle s inhabitants report hearing strange noises and seeing mysterious lights shining in an abandoned part of the building Is the castle haunted