When It Rained at Hembry Castle

When It Rained at Hembry Castle

Meredith Allard · Completed · 104.9k Words

810
Hot
810
Views
243
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

"Allard is a seasoned author, and her experience shows in both the lapidary prose and the sensitivity with which she treats class division. Overall, this is a delightful, often funny story that also serves as a gimlet-eyed study of class division and the possibility of its transcendence. An unpretentiously philosophical assessment of class and love."~Kirkus Reviews"While the primary story follows Daphne's journey of the heart in parallel with Edward's journey towards making his mark as a writer, a strong undercurrent of supporting plot lines ensure the story moves forward in a textured way, in a way that is a perfect marriage of mystery and clean, sweet, new adult romance.  The story is exquisitely written, providing context and clear imagery of Victorian-era lifestyles and perfectly balanced descriptions of England's countryside in a way that is as colorful as it is authentic. When It Rained at Hembry Castle is a charming, sweeping historical romance combined with an element of mystery. 5 stars." ~IndieReader A lush historical novel set in Victorian England, When It Rained at Hembry Castle is the story of an aristocratic family, secrets that dare not be told, and the wonder of falling in love.When the 8th Earl of Staton dies, his eldest son, the unreliable Richard, inherits the title and the family's home--Hembry Castle. The Earl's niece, the American-born Daphne, is intrigued by Edward Ellis, a rising author with a first-hand knowledge of Hembry Castle--from the servants' hall. Can Richard come to terms with his title before bringing ruin on his family? Will Edward and Daphne find their way to each other despite the obstacles of life at Hembry Castle?When It Rained at Hembry Castle is a page-turning, romantic novel with vivid characters and an engrossing story that will keep you guessing until the end.

Chapter 1

A Funeral at Hembry

T

he mourners lined the village roads as far as the castle, their umbrellas pointed like black wreaths at the crying sky. There were hundreds of them, from the village of Hembry, from across the county of Berkshire, from London 60 miles away. They bowed their heads, tipped their hats, or curtsied as the hearse passed on its way toward the church, the black-draped driver keeping his four black stallions with their glossy fake tails moving in time to the slow-falling rain. The onlookers tried to see through those at the front, the shorter on their toes, straining their necks, while fathers held their children on their shoulders to see the white lilies on the polished oak casket. There were few dry eyes as the body of the 8th Earl of Staton passed. The women hid their sorrow behind their handkerchiefs while the men insisted they weren’t crying, it was rain on their faces, after all.

The escort to the church was a well-orchestrated affair. Ten men acted as pages, four were feathermen, and two mutes in black gowns and silk hatbands acted out the family’s sorrow in a lugubrious pantomime. The family’s carriage jerked up and down, up and down over the mud-slicked road while the mourners trailed behind, following the 8th Earl on his final journey. As though the heavens had their fill of tears to shed that day, the closer to the church the mourners came, the harder the rain fell. The onlookers struggled to protect themselves from the warm June splashes until, in the space of a breath, the sky cleared and the sun peeked pink beneath the parting clouds. The air was heavy, you could hold it in your hands like warm dough, and the mourners dabbed with handkerchiefs at perspiring foreheads.

The mourners of a mind to converse remarked on the size of the crowd. It was rare that the death of a peer touched the lives of so many. Normally, when one died, people shrugged, muttering how it was too bad Lord Whatshisname or Lady Soandso had passed on, but you know how it goes. When you get to be that old you have it coming. The Earl of Staton had died in residence in his country seat at Hembry Castle, so some public display of grief was to be expected, and there were always those who turned out with expectations of pocketing whatever alms the family saw fit to bestow. But the 8th Earl of Staton prompted more than shrugging and greed for alms. Everyone knew the Earl as a good man, a compassionate man, and they mourned him. Many had already paid their respects by filing past as the coffin lay in state at the castle. They had all been there—the dignitaries, the aristocrats, the neighbors, the farmers, the tenants, the villagers, the tradesmen—but they came out again for the Earl’s funeral. There are few truly good men in the world, and when one passes he should be acknowledged.

The hearse neared the church on a grassy hill dotted with yellow wildflowers and white budding bushes. The church itself was sun-bleached stone, its castle-like bell tower looming over the family. The stallions stopped, straining against their reins as though the slow pace had left them with energy to spare. The onlookers bowed their heads, praying for the eternal safekeeping of their beloved Earl, while the pallbearers lifted the coffin and carried the Earl inside. The onlookers waited in silence a respectful distance away while the family attended the church service. In time, the family reemerged with the white-robed, solemn-faced vicar.

Those lucky enough to get a view closest to the proceedings saw the eldest son, last week Richard Meriwether, today Richard, 9th Earl of Staton, as he passed the wrought iron gate to the crypt. He was only eight-and-forty, the new Earl, his long face handsome in an elegant way, his slim figure youthful and wiry, his chestnut curls peeking from under his black silk top hat and hiding the half-moon scar near his left temple. Every villager in Hembry could tell you how, when he was a boy, the Earl of Staton as is had fallen into the river when he tried to learn to swim. He lost his balance, slipped under the water, and nearly drowned as he cut the skin close to his left eye on a knife-like rock, leaving that half-moon scar still visible four decades later. There was no sign of the frightened boy that day, however. The new Earl of Staton looked fine in his close-fitting black mourning suit, his frock coat buttoned to his chin, his top hat his only protection against the wet. There was something in the new Earl’s eyes, some misgiving, perhaps, and the onlookers pressed forward for a closer look. Normally, there would be a whisper or two about the new Earl’s unmarried state, especially at his age, but on this solemn day the gossips let it rest.

As the family made its way to the cemetery gates, children and a few of the shorter adults elbowed their way closer for a view of the 8th Earl’s widow, Agatha, Countess of Staton, who was hidden in black by a billowing dress and a heavy veil which left her featureless, like a storm cloud floating toward the gravestones. Necks strained higher when other members of the family appeared. The 8th Earl and his Countess had been unusually lucky since all three of their children were sons—Richard, the eldest, now Earl, behind him the Honorable Frederick Meriwether, at five-and-forty the second son, known as “the wayward” around the village (and possibly the castle itself) since it was common knowledge that he hightailed it to America the moment he completed his studies at Oxford. Everyone knew everything in a rural village like Hembry, and they knew Frederick was a widower, his wife having died nearly five years before. For this sad occasion, Mr. Frederick had brought with him his only daughter, his only child, to England for the first time. There were rumors that Mr. Frederick’s daughter was a Beauty, as her mother had been (because who else could entice the son of a peer to stay in America but a Beauty). The golden-haired young woman appeared near the cemetery gate, and though a thin black veil covered her features, those close enough could see the sadness on her lovely face and they nodded, thinking, yes, she is indeed a Beauty.

The 8th Earl’s youngest son, the Honorable Jerrold Meriwether, nine-and-thirty, and his wife, Hyacinth to family and friends (age withheld), had just arrived from London where they lived with their two young sons, Harold and Xavier, the boys somber in their small black clothing. Jerrold Meriwether, though he was the youngest son, looked older than his brothers with his thinning hair brushed to one side, an unfortunate pretense obvious even beneath his top hat. He wore a mustache over a protruding lower lip, which gave him the appearance of a lopsided mouth, too thin on the top, too thick on the bottom. He waited near the wrought iron gate looking at no one, especially not his wife, who was most certainly not looking at him. If they cast their eyes in opposite directions, they were also turned away from each other, he to the right, she to the left, and their backs would have had an easier time conversing than their fronts. Though the space between them was a few steps, it could have been miles for all the attention they paid to each other. Their two small boys, taking their cues, stood in the gulf between their parents and watched their grandfather’s burial with detached glowers, as though this were the funeral of any poor sod they might have happened upon in the street. The only sign of emotion from anyone in Mr. Jerrold’s family was from Mr. Jerrold himself, and that was when an infant child of one of the onlookers cried. At the sound of the wail, Mr. Jerrold snapped around, his neck growing longer, his lank hair blowing out from under his top hat as though Medusa’s snakes were crawling from his head, ready to discover the unfortunate child who dared to make a noise. But there were no snakes to aid him, it was only his thin strands of hair blowing about, so Mr. Jerrold cast his eggshell glare over the crowd and grew small again. When his mother, the Countess, gestured for him to join her near the mausoleum, he walked to her side, leaving his own family near the gate.

After Mr. Jerrold was inside, the family’s physician, Mr. John Hough, appeared. The new Earl pointed his walking stick toward Mr. Hough, and they found their way toward each other, the tall, lanky, chestnut-haired Earl and the nearly as tall though not so lanky doctor with glints of silver in his black hair. Mr. Hough whispered to the Earl and nodded toward Mr. Jerrold, who was too busy scrutinizing everyone else to notice. Did Mr. Jerrold expect a specter to jump out from behind a gravestone? The onlookers noted Mr. Jerrold’s odd behavior, though some insisted that his behavior was no stranger than usual. He always looked like a little boy caught with his hand in the sweets jar. The golden-haired Miss Meriwether touched her Uncle Jerrold’s arm, gently, and the man seemed to come to himself. He nodded at his niece and followed her.

Edward Ellis was among those watching the funeral proceedings, and he was struck, like many others, by the lovely young woman recently arrived from America. It was some time before he remembered to exhale. He wanted to press past the bodies, yell “Get out of my way!” like a churlish old woman knocking everyone aside with a walking stick until he could see Miss Meriwether up close. She couldn’t truly be that lovely. After all, her features weren’t clear under the black lace veil. If he saw her without the veil she wouldn’t make such a strong impression. Would she? Then he saw the line of servants from the castle making their way into the graveyard, the female servants in their simple black dresses and bonnets, the male servants with their black armbands. He saw the butler and housekeeper at the head of the line, arm in arm, heads bowed. They didn’t need to feign their sadness, Edward knew. He caught the housekeeper’s glance and she nodded. She nudged the butler and gestured toward Edward. The butler looked over the top of his round spectacles and smiled in a muted way. Edward returned the solemn greeting and watched them walk more slowly than he had ever seen them. When the butler and housekeeper broke their staffs of office over the dead Earl’s coffin, Edward knew their hearts would break too.

From outside the gates the melancholy voice of the vicar was heard reciting the burial rites: “I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die…”

The family was hidden behind bushes, trees, and ancient gravestones, and not much could be seen outside the gates. Some of the onlookers began to drift away while others remained until the end.

“I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Write, From henceforth blessed are the dead which die in the Lord: Even so, saith the Spirit, for they rest from their labors…”

Edward wanted to stay. He wanted to see the golden-haired girl again. He wanted a glimpse of her without the veil. He wanted to be certain. He remembered the untouched paper in his carpetbag, and he knew he should be writing down everything he saw, but he trusted his memory not to forget this scene. Certainly, he wouldn’t forget the girl. He pulled his fob from his pocket, saw the time, and sighed. He had to leave now if he were to make it to the train and back to London before nightfall. Edward Ellis looked once more at the cemetery, saw a smattering of black dresses, armbands, and top hats, but that was all he could make out. Since there was no glimpse of Miss Meriwether, he walked at a brisk pace from the cemetery. At the end of the field where horses grazed on grass and wildflowers shimmied in the humidity he heard the death knell. The old Earl had been entombed. Edward looked to his left and there in the distance, perched on the tallest hill, looming large above the village, bursting out beneath the darkening clouds, was the sand-colored limestone of Hembry Castle. Edward was certain he saw the chimneys bow toward the church in reverence for their lost lord, wondering if anything at Hembry would ever be the same again.

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

My Possessive Alpha Twins For Mate

My Possessive Alpha Twins For Mate

409.2k Views · Completed · Veejay
"No... You can't do this to me..." I almost squeezed the words through my teeth, my voice trembling.
My drunk stepfather remained indifferent, his weight suffocating, making it hard to breathe as my heart raced.
Suddenly, the door slammed open, and two figures burst in.
"Get off her!" a deafening roar echoed.
I didn't expect the twin brothers who'd bullied me at school to come charging in like gods to save me.
After my grandmother passed, I had to move in with my mom and stepdad, who treated me like a servant. I prayed every day for my 18th birthday to come, so l could leave and escape this broken home.
However, on my first day at my new school, l encountered the legendary twins everyone feared.
To make matters worse, the Moon Goddess revealed they were both my mates!
After helping me out with my stepdad, my twin mate cornered me, played with my hair, and whispered possessively, "You belong to us, our little mate..."
Violent Little Thing.

Violent Little Thing.

311.1k Views · Completed · sheridan.hartin
Fuck off? I lent over to her side of the car, grabbed her hips and ripped her over to straddle my lap. This girl was something else, I knew it from the start. Now I needed her to know just who I am and what I am capable of. I held one hand firmly on her waist and the other to her throat. It wasn’t tight enough to hurt her, but it would keep her in place for now.
“Angel, you have a filthy fucking mouth”, I whispered low into her ear.
“Luciano…” Finally, an expression on her face. A real one she wasn’t hiding from me. It wasn’t fear though. It was lust. My girl likes this. I pulled her down further so she could feel just how much I was liking it too and the most enchanting gasp came from her mouth while her eyes rolled back for a moment.
————————————————
Do you enjoy a damsel in distress and a knight in shining armour? If so, then this book is not for you. This five foot nothing, FMC, Ariana Salvatore is a ruthless assassin, trained and tortured to be the most deadly weapon. She's got a heart of gold, a filthy mouth and a will to survive. She's on the run from her father's heavy hand and deadly demands. What happens when not one but three powerful mafia men pine for her? Will they be able to share? Will her past catch up to her? And what about her ex fiance? The ruthless, beast of a man her father had arranged for her to marry? This book is a whirlwind of events, violent, spicy and not for the faint hearted.
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother

Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother

228.5k Views · Ongoing · Harper Rivers
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother.

"What is wrong with me?

Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?

It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.

He’s my boyfirend’s brother.

This is Tyler’s family.

I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.

**

As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.

Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.

When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.

I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.

**

I hate girls like her.

Entitled.

Delicate.

And still—

Still.

The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.

Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.

I shouldn’t care.

I don’t care.

It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.

It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.

I’m not here to rescue anyone.

Especially not her.

Especially not someone like her.

She’s not my problem.

And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.

But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.
Letting Go

Letting Go

264.3k Views · Completed · Becky j
Molly's life was perfect. She was married to her high school sweetheart, surrounded by her friends and family and she was looking forward to the future. But that all ends one tragic night when her whole world is turned upside down.
That fateful night leads to Molly and her best friend Tom holding a secret close to their hearts but keeping this secret could also mean destroying any chance of a new future for Molly.
When Tom's oldest brother Christian meets Molly his dislike for her is instant and he puts little effort into hiding it. The problem is he's attracted to her just as much as he dislikes her and staying away from her starts to become a battle, a battle that he's not sure he can win.
When Molly's secret is revealed and she’s forced to face the pain from her past can she find the strength to stay and work through the pain or will she run away from everything she knows including the one man who gives her hope for a happy future? Hope that she never thought she would feel again.
The Human Girl Who Tamed Alpha King

The Human Girl Who Tamed Alpha King

286.6k Views · Completed · Amelia Rivers
Don't stop," I begged, my hips bucking against his touch, every nerve screaming for more. "Fuck, Jace, please…"

"Eyes on me," he growled, voice thick with lust, practically vibrating through me. "I wanna watch you lose it when I make you come."

My climax slammed into me, wild and unstoppable, as he rasped, "That's it, baby."

The next morning, my heart shattered into pieces. There was Scarlett—throwing herself into Jace's arms, her body pressed intimately against his chest, her hands possessively claiming what I thought was mine just hours ago.


Raised by werewolves, human Aria Silverbrook has always lived as an outsider. When her adoptive father flees with her to escape a dangerous Alpha's advances, they find sanctuary with the powerful Moon Shadow Pack. But Aria never expected the overwhelming connection she feels to the pack's mysterious Alpha, Jace Carter—or how his young daughter Aurora instantly claims a piece of her heart.

Jace's royal Primal bloodline makes him exceptional among Alphas, his wolf Phantom towering over others. When Aria enters his territory, something stirs within him. As the Blood Moon approaches, he debates revealing the truth: she is his destined mate who will unlock his full potential.

Near her eighteenth birthday, Aria notices disturbing changes. Her wounds heal unnaturally fast after saving Aurora from a rogue wolf. A strange voice whispers warnings of transformation, while her lifelong wolf-paw birthmark takes on new significance.

Is Aria truly human? What secrets will the Blood Moon reveal? And as she falls deeper for Jace despite jealous pack members threatening their bond, can she embrace a destiny beyond anything she imagined—becoming Luna to a Wolf King?
My Husband Wants An Open Marriage

My Husband Wants An Open Marriage

199.3k Views · Completed · Elysian Sparrow
It’s true what they say about marriage: one partner’s always happier than the other.

Julie's world is shattered when her husband, Ryan, reveals that he wants an open marriage. His reason: he needs a child as they've been unable to have one. Julie reluctantly agrees to save her marriage.

The next day, Ryan returns home with his secretary, confirming Julie’s long-held suspicion that their affair was taking place behind her back.

Julie, heartbroken and enraged, seeks solace in a bar, where she meets a fascinating stranger named Luke, who changes the game. Julie confides in Luke over drinks, and he proposes a risky plan: he will act as her "boyfriend" to turn the tables on Ryan.

Julie agrees, setting off a chain of events that will challenge everything she thought she knew about love, loyalty, and herself.
The Alpha King's Human Mate

The Alpha King's Human Mate

415k Views · Ongoing · HC Dolores
“You must understand something, little mate,” Griffin said, and his face softened,

“I have waited nine years for you. That’s nearly a decade since I’ve felt this emptiness inside me. Part of me began to wonder if you didn’t exist or you’d already died. And then I found you, right inside my own home.” 

He used one of his hands to stroke my cheek and tingles erupted everywhere. 

“I’ve spent enough time without you and I will not let anything else keep us apart. Not other wolves, not my drunken father who’s barely holding himself together the past twenty years, not your family  – and not even you.”


Clark Bellevue has spent her entire life as the only human in the wolf pack - literally. Eighteen years ago, Clark was the accidental result of a brief affair between one of the most powerful Alphas in the world and a human woman. Despite living with her father and her werewolf half-siblings, Clark has never felt like she really belonged in the werewolf world. But right as Clark plans to leave the werewolf world behind for good, her life gets flipped upside down by her mate: the next Alpha King, Griffin Bardot. Griffin has been waiting years for the chance to meet his mate, and he's not about to let her go anytime soon. It doesn't matter how far Clark tries to run from her destiny or her mate - Griffin intends to keep her, no matter what he has to do or who stands in his way.
Mated To The Cold Hearted Alpha

Mated To The Cold Hearted Alpha

264.4k Views · Ongoing · Alice Tumusiime
Warning 18+ ⚠️MATURE READERS ONLY⚠
"You want me to fuck you, I know it"
"As much as you don't like me, you're my mate and you can't deny it."
He stood up behind me, one hand holding my hip, and leaned down, his breath ragged against my neck, his voice was husky,
"You'll listen to your body... what it wants... and my body... what it needs. Only the pleasure that a small bite can bring."

At the age of 15, I was shocked to hear the ruthless Alpha claim that I was his mate.
To make matters worse, he killed my father, who was trying to protect me. At that time, I successfully ran away from him.
However, when I turned 18, I fell into his trap again.
I hated him and wanted revenge, but the moon goddess had a different plan for me.
I was his mate, and we were fated to be together. No matter the circumstances, my body couldn't resist him.
A pack of their own

A pack of their own

558k Views · Completed · dragonsbain22
Being the middle Child ignored and neglected, rejected by family and injured, She receives her wolf early and realizes she is a new type of hybrid but doesn't know how to control her power, she leaves her pack with her best friend and grandmother to go to her grandfather's clan to learn what she is and how to handle her power and then with her fated mate, her best friend and her fated mate little brother and grandmother start their own pack.
The Wolf Prophies

The Wolf Prophies

163.6k Views · Ongoing · Catherine Thompson
Lexi has always been different than others. She is faster, stronger, can see better and heals quickly. And she has an odd birthmark in the shape of a wolf's paw. But she never thought of herself as special. Until she gets close to het twentieth birthday. She notices all of her oddities get stronger. She knows nothing about the super natural world or mates. Until the birthmark starts to burn. Suddenly she finds herself involved with werewolves that think she is the prophesied one that is supposed to unite the packs against a vampire that wants her dead. She has to learn how to handle her new powers as well as not one but two mates. One wanted to reject her because he thought she was human. The other accepts her completely. The prophecy says she has to have both. Wha twill she do. Will she accept both or reject one and hope for a second chance mate? Will she be able to handle shifting and her powers before it is too late?
Stuck With My Three Hottie Boss

Stuck With My Three Hottie Boss

172k Views · Completed · Oguike Queeneth
"Your pussy is dripping for us, begging for us to use it." His deep voice sent shivers down my spine.

"Do you want that, buttercup? Do you want us to give your little cunt what it craves?"

"Y…yes, sir." I breathed


Joanna Clover's hard work through university paid off when she got a secretary job offer to her dream company, Dangote Group of Industries. The company is owned by three mafia heirs, they don't only own a joint business, they are also lovers and had been together since their college days.

They are sexually attracted to one another but they share everything together including women and they change them like clothes. They are known as the world's most dangerous playboys.

They want to share her but will she accept the fact that they fuck each other?

Will she be able to navigate business and pleasure?

She has never been touched by a man before let alone three, all at the same time. Will she oblige?
The Luna's Vampire Prince

The Luna's Vampire Prince

145.1k Views · Completed · Bella Moondragon
Prince Rafe leans over me, holding himself up on one elbow as he gazes at my face. I feel his eyes wandering over every surface from my brow to my eyes, down my nose, to my lips and chin, and then returning to hold my gaze for a second. The small smile at the corner of his mouth makes me think he likes what he sees.
His hand is cool when it brushes a loose curl from my cheek, but I don’t jerk away from him. I have no idea what’s going on. I don’t understand why I’m here. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. It seems like a lot of powerful people want me—dead or alive. And yet, all I can think about right now is how badly I want this vampire’s hands on my body.


I live in a desolate village on the edge of the Vampire King’s lands. This used to be wolf shifter territory, but now, we are just trying to survive.
When I mess up and find myself in a culling, I know I’m dead. No wolf shifters ever survive these events.
And after the stunt I pulled in the middle of the village, Prince Rafe probably wants me dead.
Is it a good thing or a bad thing when a vampire looks at you like you’re a snack?
Something tells me, once I reach the castle, I’ll be missing my miserable existence in the village.
But then—it turns out I have no freaking idea who I even am, and when the royals start referring to me as Princess Ainslee, I realize my life is about to take a turn—for better or worse.