Lord of the Manor
- Reads 108
- Votes 12
- Parts 3
To her, he represents authority and power. To him, she spells sedition and danger.
Orphaned at birth, Cecily Neville owes more than her name to the former hospitallers of Temple Roding. She was still a child when the reformation wrenched her home and adopted family from her and now, like the few surviving monks, she lives in fear that her past could take a deadly toll. Her closest friend is her precious peregrine falcon, Charlemagne. Her greatest enemy is Allan Smythe, the new owner of Temple Roding.
Grieving over the loss of both wife and child, Smythe throws his heart and soul into reviving the old hospitaller commandery that he's bought in partnership with his brother-in-law, Kennett Clark. He can't risk being distracted by the mysterious but tempting Cecily and her murdering bird. However, when Smythe is forced to save her from his brother-in-law's lecherous clutches, the unscrupulous Kennett vows to destroy them both.
On a knife-edge, Smythe can't afford to relax the rents owed by Cecily and her fellow villagers. If he doesn't demolish her former home for profit, he risks losing everything to Kennett. But when necessity forces him to employ Cecily, there's more at stake than his future and his battered heart. Something lies hidden in the depths of the hospitaller commandery that could solve all of Smythe's problems... or threaten his life.
It all depends on whether he, or the very determined Cecily, finds it first.
All Rights Reserved
#12
elizabethan
Join the largest storytelling communityGet personalized story recommendations, save your favourites to your library, and comment and vote to grow your community.
You may also like
![In Magician's Embrace [BOOK 1 of Price Family Saga]](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/337149921-256-k110565.jpg)
In Magician's Embrace [BOOK 1 of Price Family Saga]
Eliza Price, daughter of the Duke of Hertfordshire, finds herself entangled in a web of suitors, rejecting one potential partner after another. A marriage with the esteemed Duke of Kent appears to be her path forward, until an enigmatic figure, Mr. Magician, captivates her heart. Not only does he possess an irresistible charm, but he stands as the sole gentleman in all of London who dares to resist her allure. Meanwhile, the Marquess St. Arcey, perceiving Eliza as the embodiment of a femme fatale, cannot bear the thought of her belonging to another. His ardent pursuit of her heart and hand further complicates matters. To exacerbate the predicament, the fate of Eliza's family fortune hangs precariously in the balance. The crucial documents that substantiate their ancestral estates and noble title are hidden within a chest, found by the royal historian. Tragically, the historian meets an untimely demise, and the chest mysteriously vanishes, leaving all clueless about its whereabouts. The historian's demise summons the long-standing rivals of the Price family - the Grays - who descend upon London with their agenda. Amongst them is the haughty Lord Daniel Gray, driven by a deep-seated desire for retribution stemming from an ancient transgression that saw his family's property pass into the hands of the Prices. His presence in Eliza's life becomes an omen of unfortunate events, marked by searing insults unleashed each time their paths cross. Will Eliza navigate this maelstrom of emotions and choices to find her ultimate happiness? And who shall claim the chest concealing the Price family's fortunes? The answers lie within the endless dance of fate, as Eliza's journey unfolds against the backdrop of Georgian society, where love, rivalry, and the pursuit of ancestral legacies intertwine in unexpected ways. TRIGGER WARNING: MATURE CONTENT! Awards: AMBYS 2023 WINNER | Romance Reads 2024 Honorable MentionComplete
Rein in the Highlands
After the death of her mother Rein finds that her small world comes crashing down, losing her home to pay for the expensive hospital bills was not something Rein expected either was moving to Scotland... After losing the house Rein's father contacts someone he thought he could forget, His sister. Aunt Sophia is a reclusive woman that seems to be more than content living in exile on a lonely farm in the Scottish countryside . When Rein arrives she is moping around inside depressed with the relentless thundering and rain outside that is until one day she ventures outside determined on figuring out why she feels so attached to the Land, what she hadn't anticipated was being sent to a whole other time, back to the 12th century Scotland. With her limited knowledge of the land and the customs Rein soon finds herself with a target on her back and in the middle of two warring clans. However all hope is not lost when Rein finds herself on the cusp of death her saviour comes in the form of Rowan Mclain Laird of Mclain keep, an often moody tortured soul, that is until his path crosses with Rein slowly and all at once Rein begins to melt the heart that time had frozen, But will Rowan be able to protect his new found love from the darkness brewing. What happens when you test the bonds of time, nothing will ever be the same when time begins to write its wrongs. "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." J.R.R. TolkienComplete
Unlikely Endings (Now Being Rewritten as: The Pursuit of a King)
*Please note this story is now being rewritten and published on wattpad as The Pursuit of a King I encourage you to please go and read that one!* . Henry was the second son of a King and expected to do little more than get drunk, whore around, and settle quietly out of everyone's way. However after the sudden death of his brother he is forced both into the spotlight and into the arms of his newly appointed wife Amelia. Henry loathes her for trapping him into matrimony and it seems as though their marriage and the kingdom is doomed against the outside forces seeking to destroy them from within. Can Henry and Amelia move past their pride and band together for the good of the realm?Complete![The Passion of London [Highlander's Love #1]](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/72760652-256-k743080.jpg)
The Passion of London [Highlander's Love #1]
HIGHEST RANKING #6 in HISTORICAL FICTION! --- For all her life, Lady Evie Verrick had been regaled of tales of the Highlands from her Highland born and bred mother. She had grown up dreaming of chivalrous knights, sword-fighting, horse back riding. Tales of kin and family, loyalty and the warmth of a home. But being brought up in a traditional English household with a traditional father, her mother was the closest thing to the Highlands she could get. And when her mother died of pneumonia before her coming out, left to her father's care, Evie wants now, more then ever, to see the promised lands that she grew up with. --- Connor Gilroy had served as the first in command to the MacKenzie clan for as long as he could remember. He owed his loyalty to his best friend and brother in arms, Hammond MacKenzie, who had saved him from being skinned alive by English soldiers years ago, before the truce was signed between the two lands. Having no love lost for the country, Hammond would be the only person who could ever convince Connor to step foot back into English lands. His chief had recently received news on the death of the aunt he has never met, but Hammond was a man of his word, and he had promised his father he would care for all kin, regardless of who they were. But Connor never would've imagined that the cousin of his best friend would be a spirit of the flames. The way Evie took on life and all of its problems with a passion that ignited a hearth, would perhaps be the first time someone ever ignited more then just passion and desire within him.Complete
The Beastkeeper's Bride
Mrs. Addilyn's Anxious Hearts Society- For a mere two shillings per annum, a selection of human and supernatural species are at your fingertips for perusal- simply choose your desired partner and we'll do the rest! Fine print: all participating clientele need be of sentient capabilities and payment made upfront. Millie Adams was angry with her lot in life- everything had been taken away from her, leaving her in the hands of a relative who endured her simply to have access to her wealth and inheritance. When her cousin realises that Millie is no meek lady willing to do his bidding, he decides to utilize any means necessary to silence his niece, including magic. Knowing that she had to take matters into her own hands, and fast, an advertisement in the societal papers provides Millie with one last avenue of hope: Mrs. Addilyn's Anxious Hearts Society Matchmaking Service. Blayne Leowyn's human name was James Woode according to the documentation this world had provided him, though he was anything but. He lived a solitary existence in the forests skirting around the capital city. The beasts and creatures that dwelled in the area were under his care, tempered and appeased by his tenuous administrations to prevent discord between human and fae. He has little interest in the human way, though when his path crosses with a human woman thanks to Mrs. Addilyn's interfering services, he could not ignore the allure he felt kindling within him. But his unwitting match, Miss Adams, became furious and aloof, and his need for companionship would surely lack considering the woman was mute. However, he could not deny there was something about her... This is a historical fantasy romance novel, heavy focus on the romance.Complete
Under the Crimson Moon
Crime and punishment. Two things that didn't quite go together in the traditional sense when in regards to the Peaky Blinders. They committed the crimes and doled out the punishment with impunity. Untouchable through Birmingham, no longer subject to the laws that held lesser men accountable. That was until the youngest met his reckoning. Prior to the Black Hand, there came a little orphan girl living off of her father's will. After a business trip to Birmingham that ended in his death, there came Tabitha. And she was the devil in sheep's clothing. Tabitha De Loughery. *Warning: Contains Mature Themes and Contents*Complete
Threnody
Aries Bristol is a bounty hunter. The best of the best, most terrifying, and she's a woman, frowned upon by all. "Women shouldn't fight," they say, on and on. "Women shouldn't get their hands dirty." "Women are weak." "Women are powerless." "Women are toys, puppets, made to look at and enjoy." They thought they were geniuses. Adding to her misery. She proved them wrong. And she always will. ●●●●● When she is called upon by an Aristocrat, Aries is hired to find a Demhi---a person---a race--- that is immortal. But she knows they don't exist anymore. They didn't die, no, they disappeared. As if they never existed. ...Didn't they? So, of course, she finds this bounty dumb... until she is paid one hundred thousand for the job, enough to sustain her for life... As she goes on her mission, she defeats many people, from drunken thugs to gang leaders. She also gets visons, dreams, and prompting from her Patron goddess, Thana, the goddess of death. As she is fulfilling her job, she meets a man. A very enigmatic figure, one she comes to know as he confronts her and travels alongside her. As they travel together, they bond, becoming good friends...or more. They unveil a path of dark secrets... some connected to their pasts. In the midst of all this, Aries deals with depression, suffering from past traumas, as well as realizing her growing feelings for this man. As the novel escalates, Aries needs to find comfort in her own skin and not to live in the past, as well as differ good from evil. WARNING: Rated mature for suicidal thoughts, self harm (mentioned), and depression. No explicit adult content, though very small mentions of r4p3 (mentioned once, never described, nor pressed).Complete
In The Devil's Stables (Spirited #1)
WATTYS 2016 WINNER! - Writer's Debut Category **A Wattpad Featured story!!!** What's a lady to do... Lady Charlotte has never been the typical English lady. Nor does she intend to be when her uncle makes a bid to inherit everything - the land, the money. All that had been her father's a decade before. So when her uncle forces the issue, Charlotte knows her time is up. She is making her move. As the poor gentleman, Charlie. In two weeks' time, she plans to take control of her future while stripping her uncle of his. When she meets her match... Lord Greyson, the Earl of Claymore, can't seem to forget the mysterious lady he saved from being compromised, only for her to punch him in the face and descend a balcony to be rid of him. He doesn't expect to meet her again so soon, and not like this. As a lad who looks distinctly familiar, with a sharp tongue and a spirit that demands independence. What else is Greyson to do but watch over his little caterpillar, offering her safety and employment in his stables? It's the perfect solution. Or so he thinks. And finds herself falling in love... What neither one of them expects is the sexual tension that ignites between them. What's a girl to do when she finds herself falling for her employer. And that he seems to feel the same...for his stable hand. But that's the least of their problems as a common enemy threatens to tear them apart, one that has no intention of letting either one of them off the hook. It's winner take all - breeches edition. And Charlie plays to win. Highest Rating : #1 in Historical Fiction 5/15/2016 Most Recent: #1 in Historical Fiction 67/22/2016 Book 1 in the Spirited Brides series *Cover made by @Aphrodite270*Complete
The Belle of Birmingham (The Tudors x Shera)
Everyone knows the story of Henry VIII and his first wife: Catherine of Aragon! But...what if he secretly loved another after they wedded on June 11th 1509? Émilie Mallory Spinner, eldest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Birmingham, her mother died of child bed fever after the birth of her youngest sister: Eleanor Émilie and Henry were 13 and 24 when their courtship began, but ended abruptly after Henry broke them up in order to make Anne Boleyn his new Mistress. Now, after years, they meet again, Henry now the King of England, France and Ireland, Émilie the Queen of Greece and Duchess of Birmingham with her four daughters and son. The characters mainly include: Émilie-(Shadow Weaver) Émilie's wife-(Queen Angella) Henry VIII Catherine of Aragon-(Henry's first wife) Anne Boleyn (Henry's second wife) Princess Serenity-(Serena Weaver)/(Henry's oldest daughter) Princess Scarlet-(Scarlet Weaver)/(Serenity's Twin) Princess Savanna-(Serafina Weaver) Princess/General Camille-(C'yra Weaver) Princess Mary I-(Henry's second oldest daughter) Princess Elizabeth I-(Henry's youngest daughter) Prince Edward VI-(Henry's only son) Prince/Vice General Carlos-(Carlos Weaver) Characters somewhat included: Jane Seymour (Henry's third wife) Anna of Cleves (Henry's fourth wife) Katherine Howard (Henry's fifth wife) Katherine Parr (Henry's sixth wife) Mary Seymour (Catherine Parr's daughter) Let's see how this will turn out!Complete
The Fraudulent Duchess | ONC 2022
The Duke of Bedford needs money. After years of gambling and not paying attention to his budget, Cecil Hastings finds himself in financial trouble. If he cannot find a reasonable amount of money soon, he will be forced to sell his estate. Then, he remembers his great-aunt's proposition. Years ago she told him that when he got married, she would give his future wife a generous sum. The Duke of Bedford wants to get his hands on that money. The problem is that he does not have a wife, and even if he found one, how would he be able to convince her to give him the money? Susan Taylor has been in service all her life. But after she overhears a conversation between the Duke of Bedford and her employer, she finds herself tangled up in the Duke's financial problems. When the Duke offers to give her half of the money in return for pretending that they are a married couple, she finds herself agreeing. Susan Taylor is no longer a lady's maid. She is now the Fraudulent Duchess of Bedford. ___ An ONC 2022 Long List story All rights reserved Cover designed using Canva If you are reading this story on any other platform other than Wattpad you are very likely to be at risk of a malware attack. If you wish to read this story in it's original, safe, form, please go to: @Writographer. Thank you.Complete
Eliza Price, daughter of the Duke of Hertfordshire, finds herself entangled in a web of suitors, rejecting one potential partner after another. A marriage with the esteemed Duke of Kent appears to be her path forward, until an enigmatic figure, Mr. Magician, captivates her heart. Not only does he possess an irresistible charm, but he stands as the sole gentleman in all of London who dares to resist her allure. Meanwhile, the Marquess St. Arcey, perceiving Eliza as the embodiment of a femme fatale, cannot bear the thought of her belonging to another. His ardent pursuit of her heart and hand further complicates matters. To exacerbate the predicament, the fate of Eliza's family fortune hangs precariously in the balance. The crucial documents that substantiate their ancestral estates and noble title are hidden within a chest, found by the royal historian. Tragically, the historian meets an untimely demise, and the chest mysteriously vanishes, leaving all clueless about its whereabouts. The historian's demise summons the long-standing rivals of the Price family - the Grays - who descend upon London with their agenda. Amongst them is the haughty Lord Daniel Gray, driven by a deep-seated desire for retribution stemming from an ancient transgression that saw his family's property pass into the hands of the Prices. His presence in Eliza's life becomes an omen of unfortunate events, marked by searing insults unleashed each time their paths cross. Will Eliza navigate this maelstrom of emotions and choices to find her ultimate happiness? And who shall claim the chest concealing the Price family's fortunes? The answers lie within the endless dance of fate, as Eliza's journey unfolds against the backdrop of Georgian society, where love, rivalry, and the pursuit of ancestral legacies intertwine in unexpected ways. TRIGGER WARNING: MATURE CONTENT! Awards: AMBYS 2023 WINNER | Romance Reads 2024 Honorable Mention
More detailsContent Guidelines