
CHAPTER I: PLETHERN OF MORVANE § 1
CHAPTER II: ROCKARVON § 1
CHAPTER III: VIOLA § 1
CHAPTER IV: DANIEL § 1
CHAPTER V: THE GRAYS OF CLONSALL § 1
CHAPTER VIII: BEAUTY CAPRICIOUS § 1
CHAPTER IX: WINE OF YOUTH AND WATER OF VIRTUE § 1
CHAPTER X: THREE RETROSPECTS § 1
CHAPTER XI: MRS. PLETHERN DECIDES FOR WAR
CHAPTER XII: THE PAINTED EARL § 1
An overgrown avenue winds up toward a pair of iron‑grilled gates that frame nothing but sky, marking the forgotten entrance to Morvane’s once‑splendid park. The walls have crumbled, beeches stand in solemn rows, and the wind whispers through the tangled undergrowth, hinting at a past where grand processions and elegant carriages once passed. The estate’s decayed grandeur lingers in the rusted grille and the moss‑covered stones, inviting curiosity about the lives that built—and abandoned—this place.
Beyond the gates rises the Morvane campanile, a lone tower nicknamed “The Devil’s Candle.” Local lore tells of a secret pact between a Jacobite heir and a dark figure, promising a beacon that would forever guide lost souls. Whether myth or memory, the legend casts an eerie glow over the crumbling manor, setting the stage for a tale of family legacies, whispered conspiracies, and the strange beauty that persists when history refuses to disappear.
Language
en
Duration
~9 hours (548K characters)
Release date
2025-12-09
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1888–1957
A sharp-eyed collector of Victorian books, he helped shape how later readers understood nineteenth-century fiction while also building a career as a publisher and novelist. His work moved easily between scholarship and storytelling, which gives his writing both authority and life.
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