In 1820s rural Derbyshire, an abandoned new-born is discovered under a hawthorn bush by Carey, a witch living unexplainedly on church ground in the village of Brockhill. She names the foundling Valentine and raises him as a pagan. Valentines impoverished childhood is followed by an unexpected academic education from the local vicar on whose land the pair live. The young boys adolescent love for Susan, a fellow village orphan, and his later passion for Francis Levett-Bayne, the well-heeled but dissolute estate owner, lead to an awakening of conflicting yet conflated sexual desires. Mary Reynolds, in her second novel, dramatically and sensitively portrays Valentines development from rural urchin to young city gentleman, and tells the story of how his struggle to leave behind his Satanic roots has ultimately tragic consequences.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!