
by
CHAPTER I - RUNNING WATER
CHAPTER II - "ROSES, ROSES ALL THE WAY"
CHAPTER III - IN THE DUST
CHAPTER IV - THE CAPTIVE HAWK
CHAPTER V - FREE—WITH A BROKEN WING
CHAPTER VI - THE ROAD TO THE BEECH TREE
CHAPTER VII - THE ROAD BACK
CHAPTER VIII - THE LOVE OF WOMEN
CHAPTER IX - THE TOLEDO BLADE
A quiet English garden room becomes the backdrop for a tender yet uneasy correspondence in the spring of 1814. A poised woman, dressed in lilac silk, pens a letter while her son, Laurent, prepares to fish on a swollen river, their banter tinged with the weight of recent wars and the lingering presence of the fallen Napoleon. Their conversation weaves personal longing with the larger currents of history, hinting at the fragile ties between England and a France on the brink of restoration.
Through intimate dialogue and lingering glances, the story explores how loyalty, love, and identity clash when borders shift and old regimes crumble. As the Allies close in on Paris, the characters grapple with the expectations of duty and the pull of home, setting the stage for choices that will shape their futures. The narrative balances the tenderness of family bonds with the tension of a continent in transition, inviting listeners into a richly textured, emotionally resonant early‑19th‑century world.
Language
en
Duration
~14 hours (821K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2021-08-29
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1877–1950
Best known for vivid historical romances set in the 18th and early 19th centuries, this English writer won lasting readers with sweeping adventure, careful period detail, and a memorable Jacobite trilogy. Her stories also ranged into shorter fiction with a darker, uncanny edge.
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