First published in 1864, ’Cousin Phillis’ is  a haunting, beautifully controlled novella considered to be among Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell’s finest short works. 
Lodging with a minister on the outskirts of London, Paul Manning is initially dismayed to discover that the uncle he must visit in the country is also a churchman. Yet far from the oppressively religious household he envisages, Manning is delighted to meet his genial relations—not least, his cousin Phillis. But when Phillis falls for the charms of his more sophisticated colleague, Manning’s family ties render him powerless to prevent the inevitable heartbreak that ensues. 
Collaborator and friend of Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell is a leading figure in Victorian literature.