Century

The Children of the Night Award winner 2005.

Century is the name of a huge Georgian mansion, home to the Italian Verga family. The grand house sits amid magnificent gardens and parklands, overlooking a huge lake. But Century's heyday is passed. All but two of the servants have disappeared, and widower Trajan leads a secluded life with his two daughters, trapped in a strange dark winter world that never seems to change.

One day Mercy, the elder daughter, sees the ghost of a drowned woman under the ice in a pond and meets the mysterious Claudius, who claims to be a member of the Verga family. He offers Mercy a chance to find out the truth about their family and the secrets of the past. But can Mercy trust Claudius, who has his own dark secrets? Can she uncover the truth or will she destroy the house and her family in the process?