The Nether Millstone

At Dashwood Hall, old pride and buried scandal smolder beneath the polish of a great house on the brink of ruin. When Mary Dashwood is nearly killed by a runaway horse, she is rescued by Ralph Darnley, a former acquaintance from Paris whose return awakens old feelings and dangerous questions about the family he once knew. Darnley soon finds Dashwood Hall haunted by fear: Sir George Dashwood is worn down by debt and secrecy, while the smooth, insolent Horace Mayfield seems to hold some hidden power over the household. As Mary confides that her father cannot raise money because of a tangled inheritance and a missing will, Darnley is drawn deeper into a struggle shaped by class prejudice, family loyalty, and a past that refuses to stay buried. The old servant Slight recognizes him as the image of a vanished heir, and long-suppressed history begins to surface. Then fire, suspicion, and a shocking claim of identity force the Dashwoods toward the truth. Inspector Drake's investigation exposes arson, and Vincent Dashwood's assertion that he is the rightful heir threatens to overturn everything. In the end, a certified marriage record confirms his claim, and the fate of Dashwood Hall turns on a revelation that binds romance, mystery, and inheritance into one dramatic reckoning. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.