The Ivy Tree is a novel of romantic suspense by English author Mary Stewart. Her sixth novel, it was published in 1961 in Britain by Hodder & Stoughton and in 1962 in the United States by William Morrow. As usual with the author, the novel is narrated in first person by a bold and intelligent young woman, and the setting is picturesque - in this case, Northumberland.
Characters
Mary Grey, protagonist: a new arrival in England from Canada, working in the Kasbah cafe in Newcastle and renting an old run-down flat. Her alternate identity (later confirmed to the reader) is Annabel Winslow: the well-liked but wayward favorite of her grandfather, Matthew (see below). When she successfully convinces him that he is mistaken when accusing her of being Annabel, she sees a chance to return home and see her dying grandfather without risking Connor’s murderous wrath.
Connor Winslow, the handsome but hot-tempered and ruthless manager of Whitescar Farm. Connor schemes to marry second-cousin Annabel Winslow to get control of her grandfather’s estate. Eight years after Annabel’s disappearance, he plots an impersonation to get Annabel’s inheritance
Lisa Dermott, Connor's half-sister, loyal only to her brother and anxious that he become the Farm's heir.
Matthew Winslow, the elderly patriarch of Whitescar: the grandfather of Annabel and Julie and great-uncle to Connor. Although a stroke has weakened him and death is imminent, Matthew continues to control his household and enjoys keeping everyone in suspense regarding his final wishes to his heirs.
Julie Winslow is the pretty, vivacious young cousin of Annabel. Julie adores Annabel and freely confides about her feelings concerning Whitescar, her boyfriend Donald, and her knowledge of the affair between Annabel and Adam. When Connor threatens Julie, Annabel and Adam rescue her.
Archaeologist Donald Seton, Julie's boyfriend, is captivated with his work on Roman excavations, and his proportionate lack of attention towards Julie induces her to doubt if she and Donald will ever marry. When he almost dies in a cave-in on Forrest Hall property, his survival draws them closer.
Adam Forrest, owner of Forrest Hall, is a neighbor of the Winslow family, and sometime the paramour of Annabel, even during his wife's lifetime. His invalid wife has died in the interim years. When he learns of Annabel’s return to the neighborhood, he is eager to reestablish their relationship, but is initially discouraged by Annabel, partially over bitterness and partially to hide her double impersonation from Connor. Adam eventually sees through Annabel’s ruse, and they reconcile. At the end of the story, he is identified with the Biblical Adam.
Plot
Narrator/protagonist Mary Grey, who has come from Canada to the land of her fore-bearers, leans against Hadrian's Wall, near a cliff, when Connor Winslow hostilely accuses her of being his long-lost (second) cousin "Annabel". Uneasily aware the cliff’s edge, Mary persuades him, with difficulty, that she is not his prodigal relative. Astonished at her resemblance, Connor sees an opportunity.
Days later Connor offers Mary money to impersonate Annabel Winslow at Whitescar, the Northumberland family farm that Connor manages (nod to Josephine Tey’s Brat Farrar). Despite running off to the States 8 years earlier and cutting off ties to the family, Annabel remains heir to her grandfather’s estate. Connor wants Mary to “reestablish” herself with Annabel’s ailing grandfather, Matthew Winslow, inherit his estate, and then transfer it to him. Mary agrees, is coached in the impersonation, and succeeds in convincing the household that she is Annabel.
The impersonation has two weaknesses. One is Mary's fear of horses, which contradicts Annabel's natural horsemanship. The second is Connor’s unawareness of the adulterous relationship between Annabel and Adam Forrest, owner of neighboring Forrest Hall. Forrest’s intimacy with Annabel now poses a threat to the impersonation.