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
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