J. S. Le Fanu's Ghostly Tales, Volume 3 The Haunted Baronet (1871)

"J. S. Le Fanu's Ghostly Tales, Volume 3" by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu is a collection of chilling stories that begins in the enigmatic village of Golden Friars, a place steeped in both beauty and eerie mystery. Opening with "The Haunted Baronet," the narrative introduces us to the George and Dragon inn, where locals whisper about the return of Sir Bale Mardykes, a man shadowed by tragedy involving a woman and her child who met their demise. The story weaves together the destinies of Sir Bale, Philip Feltram—a man with ties to a forgotten noble family—and the unsettling specters that dwell near the lake. A sense of fear hangs in the air as events unfold, promising a collision between the present and the spectral past, exploring themes of guilt, revenge, and the uncanny intrusion of the other world into the lives of ordinary people.