…and in honour of the season, I bring you angst! This is from Keeper’s Pledge, the sequel to Poacher’s Fall:

It wasn’t much of a Christmas for Danny. Oh, he tried to make merry for his mam and his sisters’ sake, but his heart wasn’t in it. His heart was still up at the manor, being trampled on by Matthew bloody Cranmore. Lord, but he’d be hard pressed to avoid temptation on the day of the pheasant shoot, with a shotgun in his hand and that simpering lad in his sights….

Danny caught himself. This wasn’t him, thinking like that, and it wasn’t Matthew he had to blame for his present misery. He’d no proof of anything between Philip and Matthew…

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Keeper’s Pledge

A sequel to Poacher’s Fall, set four years later, in 1926.

Landowner Philip Luccombe has been enjoying a passionate relationship with young poacher turned gamekeeper Danny Costessey for four years now. Danny’s love has brought him out of the shell he retreated into when his first lover died after the Great War. But this Christmas, visitors to the manor threaten their happiness. Philip’s young cousin Matthew is artistic, vivacious, and flirtatious: just the sort to remind him of his long-dead first love—and to emphasise the social gulf between Philip and Danny.

But the worst danger comes from much nearer home. An old flame of Danny’s is discovered in incriminating circumstances, forcing the lovers to keep their distance for fear of being tarred with the same brush. Meanwhile, Danny’s younger brother, Toby, has grown to resent the connection between his brother and the lord of the manor. Danny wants to do the right thing—but that could divide the lovers forever.

Available in ebook:  Dreamspinner Press | Amazon