
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
CHAPTER VII
CHAPTER VIII
CHAPTER IX
CHAPTER X
In a quiet hermitage tucked among ancient beech trees, Denise draws water from a spring that locals deem miraculous. As dusk settles, a distant red fire flickers on the horizon, its silent flames hinting at unrest beyond the woods. The narration weaves together the peaceful rhythm of monastic life with whispers of a brewing Barons’ war that threatens the surrounding countryside. Listeners are drawn into a world where faith, loyalty, and looming conflict intersect.
Soon, the stillness of the forest is broken by a procession of shadowy figures—soldiers, messengers, and a covered body carried on a litter of ash boughs. Their muted conversations and the eerie moonlight reveal a secret mission that may reshape the fate of the region. As Denise watches from her cell, the reader senses the tension between the sacred solitude of the hermitage and the violent currents gathering outside. The stage is set for a tale of honor, betrayal, and the clash of ancient loyalties.
Language
en
Duration
~9 hours (559K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Mardi Desjardins & the online Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at https://www.pgdpcanada.net from page images generously made available by the Internet Archive (https://archive.org)
Release date
2020-10-24
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1877–1950
A doctor-turned-novelist, he became one of the most widely read English popular writers of the 1920s and 1930s, best known for the hugely successful Sorrell and Son. His fiction often blends emotional intensity with an eye for everyday struggle, which helped win him a large international readership.
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