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    Winterwood
    Winterwood
    Winterwood
    Ebook92 pages1 hour

    Winterwood

    By Jade Astor

    ()

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    About this ebook

    In 1880, Sir Michael Winter returns from Oxford University to take his rightful place as lord of Winterwood Manor. In his absence, the estate, has acquired a new groundskeeper, a brash young American named Thomas Gilchrist. When Michael sees that Thomas is educated and carries himself more like a lord than a servant, he suspects that Thomas may be hiding something. Before long, however, the two can no longer suppress their growing attraction and give into the passion brewing between them.

    Just as Michael begins to believe he may at last have found happiness with Thomas, his household is thrown into turmoil. A guest of the estate is found in the woods after a garden party, mauled to death by some unknown creature. Soon it appears that a werewolf is stalking the nearby woods, and Michael begins to suspect that the man he loves might also be a beast and killer by moonlight.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPainted Hearts Publishing
    Release dateMar 7, 2018
    Winterwood
    Author

    Jade Astor

    About the AuthorJade Astor is a longtime fan of both paranormal and same-sex love stories. She was delighted to find a thriving population of like-minded writers and readers in the ebook community. When she is not writing, Jade enjoys sculpting, tinkering with computers, and training (and retraining) her small herd of unruly but adorable rescued Chihuahuas.Website:http://www.jadeastor.webs.com/Email:JadeAstor@aol.com

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      Book preview

      Winterwood - Jade Astor

      WINTERWOOD

      JADE ASTOR

      Winterwood

      Copyright © 2018, Jade Astor

      Published by Painted Hearts Publishing

      About the Book You Have Purchased

      All rights reserved. Without reserving the rights under copyright, reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or any other means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. Such action is in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law.

      Unauthorized reproduction of distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

      Winterwood

      Copyright © 2018 Jade Astor

      ISBN 10: 1-946379-83-2

      ISBN 13: 978-1-946379-83-2

      Author: Jade Astor

      Publication Date: March 2018

      All cover art and logo copyright © 2018 by Painted Hearts Publishing

      Cover design by E Keith

      ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

      All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

      Chapter 1

      Six months had passed since his father’s funeral, but Michael still expected Sir Stephen to walk down the path to greet him when his carriage pulled up in front of Winterwood. Instead, he saw only his mother, surrounded by her housemaids, and Lawford, their butler, waiting at the entrance to the house. Despite the mild summer day, the great stone gargoyles perched over the door cast long, gloomy shadows over the assembled group.

      The servants hung back as Lady Julia Winter hurried down the steps and warmly embraced her son the moment he stepped from the carriage.

      Welcome home, Sir Michael, Lady Julia said proudly as she released him.

      Please don’t call me that, Mother, Michael chided her, shaking his head. I had enough formality at university. I am the same person I always was, titled or not.

      Nonsense, Julia scolded him back. You are a baronet now and an Oxford graduate, not to mention master of this house. You must never forget that.

      At the top of the steps, the servants shared her smile and dropped curtsies and bows to him when he looked up. Michael nodded to each of them in turn, pleased at their loyalty and touched by their good wishes.

      Come in directly, his mother said, sliding her arm through his. Lunch is waiting.

      They walked inside the house, the staff following at a discreet distance, and settled themselves at the dining room table. Michael was pleased that the soup arrived immediately. He’d grown faint with hunger during the long, bumpy carriage ride from Oxford, but he’d been too focused on getting home to ask the driver to stop for even a brief repast. His own table seemed far preferable to that found at some roadside inn.

      Once you’ve had time to settle in, you must invite some of your Oxford friends over, Lady Julia said. You’ll want the company of young men your own age, and it can’t hurt to foster the right social connections now that you are in a position to do so.

      I can’t think of anyone I’d like to spend that much time with, honestly, Michael said with a sigh. No doubt his mother imagined his life at Oxford filled with witty conversations and stimulating excursions through both city and countryside, but in truth he had kept to himself much of the time. His private torments were not the sort of thing he could share with any lady, especially not Lady Julia.

      Don’t be silly. Being a man of leisure has many advantages, but you will find life here dull after a while. She attempted a flippant smile that didn’t fool him in the least. I suspect that was why your father decided to marry me, you know. He became restless and needed someone to talk to.

      I’m sure he married you for other reasons, too, Michael said, feeling his chest clutch with pain on her behalf.

      You don’t suppose love had anything to do with it! This time Lady Julia did laugh. Come, Michael, you’re old enough now to accept that the tender emotions had nothing to do with our courtship or our marriage. She paused to pat his wrist. With any luck, it will not be the same for you. I hope when you marry, it will be because your heart is engaged.

      We shall see. Michael clenched his jaw and toyed with his wineglass. The distance between his parents was not unknown to him, but he had always believed they had found some measure of happiness with one another. He had little confidence that any marriage of his own would be any different. If anything, he hoped to avoid such a state altogether, though inheriting the estate and the title would make that more difficult. Society expected men in his position to marry, and marry well, no matter what their personal feelings might be.

      A plate of roast chicken arrived, and Michael dug into it ravenously, grateful for the chance to abandon the subject. Instead, to his relief, she began talking about some of the improvements she’d done to the grounds. She had kept the estate together admirably while he finished his degree, making the most of her widowhood. In fact, she seemed to have made a better job of it than Sir Stephen had.

      I had to hire a new groundskeeper last month, she told him. Your father was fond of Old Bert, I know, but it was time for a change.

      Indeed? Michael asked, intrigued. Old Bert had been stomping Winterwood’s grounds his whole life, carrying an old-fashioned musket and glowering at anyone who invaded his space. He had not wanted Michael walking in the woods, much as he would have liked to from time to time. Where did Old Bert go?

      I gave him enough money to buy a cottage of his own in the village. He saw sense in my idea. Just between us, dear, I always felt he wasn’t quite right in the head. Julia tapped her forehead, and the two shared a smile. I suppose he meant well, but he wasn’t up for the projects I had in mind. He certainly let the back gardens go to seed.

      Who is the new chap?

      "You won’t believe it. He’s an American, and not much older

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