Seven for a Secret

Published in 1922, Seven for a Secret extends Webb’s characteristic interplay between rural realism and symbolic resonance. The title itself, drawn from traditional rhyme, foregrounds the role of superstition and folk belief in shaping both narrative and character psychology. Within this framework, Webb stages conflicts of love, betrayal, and ambition, while maintaining a lyrical attentiveness to the Shropshire landscape as an active presence in the text. The novel’s enduring critical interest lies in its fusion of regional detail with universal questions of fate and moral responsibility, situating it as a significant work in the tradition of early twentieth-century regional modernism.