From the makers of Darcy & Cult
1876 – A Victorian Gothic novel
A historical drama, by means of a ghost, a holy miracle, witchcraft,
a pirate treasure, twisted romance and a cruel plan for revenge.
The mysterious Henry de Vere Vane, Baron of Barnard, has recently become one of London’s favourite socialites. Rich, handsome, likeable and generous; no wonder everyone wants to attend the baron’s parties at his townhouse at Belgrave Square. But why is the next party being held at his remote country estate of Thornfield?
A map of the Barony of Barnard in remote Cornwall.
No one had seen or heard about Lord Barnard until a few years ago, when he miraculously recovered from an illness that kept him in bed for 22 years. If his recovery wasn’t a miracle enough, the Baron’s long abandoned mine suddenly struck gold again, making the once impoverished Baron a very wealthy man.
A religious person might believe the two statues of Mary in the estate’s chapel brought all this fortune to the Catholic Baron. Evil tongues whisper about pacts with the devil. The many coincidences have even piqued the interest of the Vatican in this remote corner of England.
There’s an unsettling aura about the Thornfield country house. Could it be the rumour that the place is haunted by The White Lady, the Baron’s late wife? Perhaps it is the grim facade of the nearby rocky coast, with the eerie shipwreck in the waves below the cliff. Or is it the presence of Lord Barnard’s mysterious sister, Lady Arabella, who has never been seen in London before and seems to be the Baron’s only living family?
There’s something undeniably off about the household of Thornfield Manor. Dubious servants with hidden agendas roam the halls. Someone with a wild imagination might recognise criminals in them, or one of those Irish assassins of the Queen that were all in the paper a few decades ago. There are pirates masquerading as humble workers, rebels infiltrating under the guise of servitude, and spies blending seamlessly into the daily routines. Criminals lurk within, their true identities concealed behind a veneer of respectability.
All in all, the contrast between spooky country estate and the fashionable London townhouse couldn’t be greater, and the guests are in for quite a shock when they find out what this gathering is really about.
