Knightshill Saga Series by Emma Drummond, Elizabeth Darrell

The year is 1896. In their magnificent ancestral home of Knightshill, the Ashleigh family are holding their annual memorial dinner to honour their bravest hero in a long line of distinguished military men - Vorne Ashleigh, who lost his life in the siege of Khartoum in 1885. The head of the family, Sir Gilliard – his son having long since died - rules over his Ashleigh grandchildren with the military fervour that has earned him honours on the battlefield... moreThe year is 1896. In their magnificent ancestral home of Knightshill, the Ashleigh family are holding their annual memorial dinner to honour their bravest hero in a long line of distinguished military men - Vorne Ashleigh, who lost his life in the siege of Khartoum in 1885. The head of the family, Sir Gilliard – his son having long since died - rules over his Ashleigh grandchildren with the military fervour that has earned him honours on the battlefield. All Sir Gilliard cares about is the continuation of the illustrious family line, but underneath him, the cracks are beginning to show... Will the peace-loving Vere Ashleigh, an invalid since childhood, ever win his grandfather’s respect? Will his hot-head brother Val achieve his dream of flouting family tradition by joining the cavalry? And what of grand-daughters Margaret and Charlotte, the one locked in a desperately unhappy marriage, the other left desolate when her much-loved brother goes away to war? What is more important, doing your duty or following your heart? When it comes down to it, it is all A Question of Honour. The first volume in the three-part Knightshill saga, this is a sweeping historical epic from Elizabeth Darrell, which was originally published under the name of Emma Drummond. Praise for Elizabeth Darrell: ‘A wonderful story, compellingly told...the authenticity - both emotional and historical - really shines through’ - Sarah Harrison Elizabeth Darrell is the penname of Emma Drummond, born in 1931. Her father was a member of the British Army stationed in Hong Kong, where Drummond spent the early years of her life. As well as writing books, she worked in the Women’s Royal Army Corps. Her books include ‘Concerto’, ‘The Savage Sky’ and ‘At the Going Down of the Sun’. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books. less

The year is 1899. General Sir Gilliard Ashleigh, owner of Knightshill and head of a family which has seen military service for thirteen generations, is obsessed with the continuation of a noble line. The man he regarded as his perfect heir died a hero’s death leaving his younger brother an unacceptable successor.Vere Ashleigh, whose sickly childhood bred in him a love of beauty, cannot determine whether he is primarily a soldier or an artist... moreThe year is 1899. General Sir Gilliard Ashleigh, owner of Knightshill and head of a family which has seen military service for thirteen generations, is obsessed with the continuation of a noble line. The man he regarded as his perfect heir died a hero’s death leaving his younger brother an unacceptable successor.Vere Ashleigh, whose sickly childhood bred in him a love of beauty, cannot determine whether he is primarily a soldier or an artist. His initial decision causes a rift between him and his inflexible grandfather, and Vere travels to South Africa as a war artist when conflict against the Boers is imminent. His warrior instinct leads him into battle, making him once more uncertain where his true destiny lies. In the heart of the veld he meets a woman he determines to make the next mistress of Knightshill, but she is equally determined to prevent what she sees as a disastrous alliance.Val Ashleigh is also in South Africa, after enlisting in a cavalry regiment following a schoolboy scandal involving an older woman. Using his two middle names, Martin Havelock, Val has risen from the ranks and is set on gaining a hero’s laurels to earn Sir Gilliard’s forgiveness, and to emulate his renowned eldest brother. But the Boers are not Val’s only enemies. An aristocrat subaltern who resents his superior military skills and doubts his identity is determined to end Val’s career, and a dangerous personal feud begins.Meanwhile Charlotte Ashleigh faces her empty future at Knightshill. Self-imposed spinsterhood because of lameness has led her to cling to Vere, the other invalid in the family. Left alone with an embittered grandparent who has no time for women, she longs for the days when her brothers and sister, Margaret, come home again. The solution to her loneliness comes from an unexpected direction, but she is soon facing opposition from Sir Gilliard when her status at Knightshill is under threat…The second volume in the three-part Knightshill saga, this is a sweeping historical epic from Elizabeth Darrell, which was originally published under the name of Emma Drummond. Filled with Darrell’s usual compelling mix of danger, passion and heroism set against authentic historical events, ‘A Distant Hero’ continues the story of the colourful Ashleighs of Knightshill which was begun in ‘A Question of Honour’.Praise for Elizabeth Darrell...‘A wonderful story, compellingly told...the authenticity - both emotional and historical - really shines through’ - Sarah Harrison Elizabeth Darrell is the penname of Emma Drummond, born in 1931. Her father was a member of the British Army stationed in Hong Kong, where Drummond spent the early years of her life. As well as writing books, she worked in the Women’s Royal Army Corps. Her books include ‘Concerto’, ‘The Savage Sky’ and ‘At the Going Down of the Sun’. less