Bess of the Woods

A vivid portrait of an English country estate opens the tale, where the boisterous Hardacre household swirls with wine, snuff, and the lazy chatter of aristocrats. In the midst of this decadence rides Richard Jeffry, a lean, sharp‑eyed youth whose uneasy conscience sets him apart from his blustering hosts. As he departs the manor, the stark winter landscape and the looming beechwood hint at a world both beautiful and unforgiving.

Beyond the manor doors, Richard’s restless mind turns toward the mysteries that surround him: the enigmatic music of his cousin Jilian, the restless ambitions of the Hardacre kin, and the quiet pull of the moors beyond. The story promises a clash between genteel pretension and a yearning for something truer, as the young rider confronts the expectations of a society that prizes swagger over sincerity. Listeners will be drawn into a richly rendered 18th‑century world where every laugh, sneeze, and whispered promise may shape a fate yet unwritten.