This chapter analyses the female ghosts in ‘The Cold Embrace’ by Mary Elizabeth Braddon and Lettice Galbraith’s ‘The Missing Model’ and explores how both stories use darkness as a space for resistance and transformation. Darkness is not solely a setting in these stories; it allows them to reclaim their agency in spaces that are traditionally dominated by men. In ‘The Cold Embrace’ Mary Elizabeth Braddon shows that a seemingly defenceless woman can become powerful in death. During her lifetime, Gertrude depended on the men in her life, but in death, she is a powerful entity and will not rest until she is avenged. Her presence defies visibility, emphasising that she thrives in darkness. Similarly, Lettice Galbraith represents darkness as a realm of agency for Violet Lucas in ‘The Missing Model’. The interaction between light and darkness draws attention to the question of artistic ownership and emphasises her defiance of objectification. In both stories, the abandoned woman is closely linked with art, where women are often associated with being voiceless muses. Yet through darkness, these female ghosts reclaim their agency and narratives.