Victoria Holt was one of several pseudonyms used by the British novelist, Eleanor Hibbert. Her work as Holt differed significantly from the more numerous novels written under the better-known name of Jean Plaidy, but was equally popular with a different fan base.
Holt's novels, such as Mistress of Mellyn (1960), were not "straight" historical novels, despite having a historical setting, but were pseudo-gothic romances with an element of suspense.