Jenny Silver has led a sheltered life at Cherry Close in Oxford, but
she is perhaps not quite as frail as her mother
would believe.
When Jenny receives a letter from her cousin Gillian Lamartine saying
that she intends to enter the
Convent of Notre-Dame-des-Orages, she
immediately sets out for Gavarnie in the French Pyrenees to find out
firsthand what is going on.
The news that greets her at the convent is devastating. Gillian,
she is told, is dead, killed in a car crash on the way to the
convent. All Jenny can do is visit her grave and accept the
comfort of the
sisters. It is Sister Louisa, planting blue
gentians on Gillian’s grave because they were her favourite, who makes
it clear to Jenny that it is not yet time to mourn: Gillian was
colour-blind and could not have expressed a preference for the blue
flowers which, to her, would look like grey. The woman buried
there, for all the description matches that of her cousin, could not
have been Gillian Lamartine.
There are mysteries to solve at the Convent of
Notre-Dame-des-Orages. Where is Gillian? Why does so much
priceless artwork adorn the chapel and offices of these good and simple
sisters, who seem unaware of its value? What is the cool and
aristocratic Dona Francisca doing immured in a convent when she has not
even taken vows? Are the girl Celeste and the virile young man
Luis friends or enemies?
To solve these problems, Jenny has the assistance of Stephen Masefield,
a veteran wounded in the Korean War. Stephen was Jenny’s constant
companion at Oxford and has followed her to Gavarnie. The violent
and tragic events in the midst of a storm which provide the answers to
the puzzle also open Jenny’s eyes to some of the realities of
life. A different Jennifer Silver will accompany Stephen back to
Oxford.
In this tale, Mary Stewart skillfully blends romance, mystery, social
comment, and a touch of academic humour. The result is a
thoroughly satisfying story that keeps the reader puzzled and amused
right to the very end.