Thornyhold - Mary Stewart

When Gilly Ransom inherits her cousin Geillis Saxon's home, Thornyhold, she also inherits a stillroom and a reputation as the new "local witch." A neighbor child, William, brings her a ferret to heal; pigeons start showing up in her loft, and Geillis' cat, Hodge, returns after disappearing.

Then there's neighbor Agnes Trapp, who lets herself in and out of the house at will and generally behaves in a less-than-neighborly fashion. Furthermore, there's the complication of handsome author Christopher Dryden, William's father.

This is a Gothic-type novel, set in post-WWII England. Stewart creates an interesting little village filled with people who are sometimes a little more two-dimensional than I personally care for, but the situations are nevertheless interesting enough to keep one reading.