The House Of Lanyon
Valerie Anand
When two ambitious families occupy the same patch of English soil, rivalry is sure to take root and flourish.A glimmer of initiative swells into blind desire, and minor hurts, nursed with jealousy, fester into a malignant hatred. When a bitter feud is born, the price for this wild and beautiful piece of ground will take more than three generations to settle. Richard Lanyon answers to no one save the aristocratic Sweetwater family, owners of the land he farms.His bitter resentment is legend within the bounds of their tiny Exmoor community, but as their tenant, Richard must do their bidding. Still, even noblemen don't have the power to contain ruthless ambition, and the Sweetwaters are no exception. Driven to succeed, Richard is prepared to take what is not his, and to forfeit the happiness of his family to claim the entitlements he lusts for.In this epic story Valerie Anand creates a vivid portrait of fifteenth-century English life that resonates with the age-old themes of ambition, power, desire and greed.
the HOUSE of LANYON
The House of Lanyon
Valerie Anand
This book is dedicated, most affectionately and gratefully, to all members of the Exmoor Society, and in particular to the members of its London Area Branch.
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PART ONE:FOUNDATIONS 1458
CHAPTER ONE:QUIET AND DIGNIFIED
CHAPTER TWO:SHAPING THE FUTURE
CHAPTER THREE:THE BUSINESS OF MARRIAGE
CHAPTER FOUR:ONE MAGICAL SUMMER
CHAPTER FIVE:UNTIMELY AUTUMN
CHAPTER SIX:THE LOCKES OF LYNMOUTH
CHAPTER SEVEN:FLIGHT
CHAPTER EIGHT:HUNTERS AND QUARRY
CHAPTER NINE:REARRANGING THE FUTURE
CHAPTER TEN:CLOUD BLOWING IN
CHAPTER ELEVEN:NEW BEGINNING
PART TWO:BUILDINGS AND BATTLES 1458–1472
CHAPTER TWELVE:DEMISE OF A PIG
CHAPTER THIRTEEN:THE HOWL OF THE SHE-WOLF
CHAPTER FOURTEEN:HOPE AND FEAR
CHAPTER FIFTEEN:DEAD DRUNK ON A HALF-STARVED HORSE
CHAPTER SIXTEEN:HOUSEWARMING
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:ONE COMES, ONE GOES
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:DREAMS ARE SECRET
CHAPTER NINETEEN:A GOOD SENSE OF SMELL
CHAPTER TWENTY:ESTRANGEMENT
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:REBELLION
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:SHE-WOLF AND CUB
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:OUT OF THE PAST
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:LOVE AND DEATH
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:A MATTER OF A DOWRY
PART THREE:STORM DAMAGE 1480–1486
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX:BOULDER
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:THE RISING HOUSE OF LANYON
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT:WHIRLIGIG
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE:HEATHER, GORSE AND HENRY TUDOR
CHAPTER THIRTY:THE RED DRAGON
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE:FRIENDS UPON A BRIDGE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO:COMING HOME
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE:FOES UPON A BRIDGE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR:FALLING APART
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE:A SENSE OF ABSENCE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX:EXTRAORDINARY CHANGES
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN:PROPOSAL
PART FOUR:RECONSTRUCTION 1487–1504
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT:SETTLED IN LIFE