When the Night Closes In by Chasity Bowlin

At Nightleigh Hall, danger lurks in every corner… from the living and the dead.
Tess Parker has traveled far from London and the Darrow School to accept a position as companion to a frail, elderly woman. But Nightleigh House is not at all what she anticipated and her less than warm welcome by the master of the house, Maximillian Nightleigh, the Earl of Finmore, leaves her questioning that decision.

Immediately, it becomes apparent that there is more going on at Nightleigh House than meets the eye. Secrets. Unseen threats… and a chilling presence that leaves her both frightened and determined to discover the truth.
Maxim resisted his grandmother’s wishes for a companion, not because he doubted her need of one, but because inviting strangers into Nightleigh House never went well. But the moment he meets Tess Parker, he knows she’s not the sort to run screaming into the night. Unreasonably and unwisely drawn to her, they are caught in a compromising situation that prompts him to propose.
As they work together to uncover the secrets that hide without the shadows at Nightleigh Hall, they soon find that they face dangers from both sides of the grave.

(Note: This story was first published as part of the Dragonblade Publishing Anthology, A Midnight Requiem, October 2022)