The Monk's Lair
By Ellie Thomas
()
About this ebook
One particular guest, Sam Gillespie, is a handsome amateur scientist of a similar age to Christian who is determined to befriend him. When Sam persuades Christian to join him on an expedition to the scenic ruins of Tintern Abbey, they stumble across an isolated valley that contains a long-dead and sinister monastic force.
Their dreams are haunted by the spirit of the place, so the pair band together to find out the valley’s dark history, kindling their romance along the way. But their ghostly foe is more tenacious than they imagine. Can Christian and Sam manage to defeat the black monk and find lasting happiness?
Read more from Ellie Thomas
A Marriage for Three Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Christmas Engagement Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Tricky Situation Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Another Chance for Love Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShore Leave Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Midwinter Night's Magic Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Twelve Letters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Christmas Cotillion Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Lucky John Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Festive Gathering at Chelsea Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHeld Close to My Heart Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Touch of Spice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMay Wedding Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOne Summer Night Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChristmas Below Stairs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLucky in Love Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsComing of Age Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Lasting Vow Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Spice of Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLondon in the Rain Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Monk's Lair Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Way Home Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Monk's Lair
Related ebooks
The Monk's Lair Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLusca and Other Fantastic Tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDazzlepaint: A Romantic Mystery of the Hudson River Valley Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTaken By The Maverick Millionaire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDaisy Ashton Abroad Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Man who was Two Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAnn Radcliffe: The Complete Novels Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Three Courses and a Dessert: Comprising Three Sets of Tales, West Country, Irish, and Legal; and a Melange Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Tropic Isle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary - The Reckoning - Based On The Book By John Grisham Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeyond The Misty Shore Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unknown Quantity: A Book of Romance and Some Half-Told Tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Rich Man's Relatives (Vol. 2 of 3) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Misanthrope Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKiller in the Outback Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Trees of Pride Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDeception on Sable Hill Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Rich Man's Relatives (Vol. 1 of 3) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne / A Sicilian Romance. Two Volumes in One: With numerous contemporary illustrations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCrystal Fire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSign of the Throne: Book One in the Solas Beir Trilogy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Three Fisted Tales of Halloween: The Assless Horseman Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mark of the Beast Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Destiny Chronicles: Deceit and Honor Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTravelers Five Along Life's Highway: Jimmy, Gideon Wiggan, the Clown, Wexley Snathers, Bap. Sloan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBloodline: A Natasha Blake Ancestor Detective Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Diana Rivers Mysteries - Volume One - Boxed Set of 3 Murder Mystery Suspense Novels: The Diana Rivers Mysteries Collection, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCharleston Ghosts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSearch for a Soul Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Gay Fiction For You
The Priory of the Orange Tree Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cabin at the End of the World: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maurice Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Exquisite Corpse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Him: Him, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Marvellous Light Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Young Mungo Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pomegranate: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ghost Wall: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kiss Her Once for Me: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Orlando: A Biography Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5White Trash Warlock Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We the Animals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Querelle of Roberval Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Silver in the Wood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lie With Me: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Going Home Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Charioteer: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5And Then He Sang a Lullaby Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Zombie: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Just by Looking at Him: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5City of Night Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Are Water: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Misadventures of Doc and Dirk, Volume I Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Reality of Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5These Violent Delights: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Us: Him, #2 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Boy's Own Story: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for The Monk's Lair
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
The Monk's Lair - Ellie Thomas
Chapter 1
The Wye Valley, near Tintern, Monmouthshire
An inky firmament of stars shone bright and serene over the thickly wooded hills. The vista was wide and clear, stretching to the horizon where the mountains met the sky in a midnight embrace. Any impression of stillness was illusionary. This prospect was far from a frozen image captured on canvas in an attempt at idealised Romanticism.
A whisper of breeze ruffled the treetops. From within the sheltered depths of the woodland came the scurrying of small animals. The cycle of life and the changing seasons played out in peaceful progression as it had done from time immemorial.
Below the tree line, the first ghostly white tendrils emanated from the cleft of the isolated valley. In its depths, the haze thickened, shrouding a carefully hidden secret. In this spot there was no birdsong, no hint of a woodland creature, simply an endless, smothering quiet.
The paths that led to this place were overgrown, seldom trod, avoided by people and wild animals. In the expectant hush, such neglect did not appear accidental.
At the heart of the valley lurked a presence that tingled through the hairs on the back of the neck and set the pulse racing. The force lingered around the crumbling structures at its centre. Man-made, a hub of worship for centuries until eventually abandoned. Left to its own devices, crumbling into neglect, the place occasionally attracted those inclined to occult thrills. Perhaps this explained why the small cluster of broken buildings was not harmlessly absorbed back into nature. Instead, they gathered power, harnessing dark energy.
In daytime, a hardy visitor armed with a stout staff for the steep descent might find an unimpressive heap of stones, disappointed that their exertions reaped such thin rewards. With a muttered curse about straying so far off the beaten track, they would climb the steep slope back towards civilisation and the glories of Tintern Abbey.
Unprepossessing in daylight, the hollow was an ominous place after nightfall. Wreathed in mist, the ruined priory crouched like a predatory beast. The few remaining walls resembled jagged claws, ready to tear and clutch. The dense fog gave no respite, no softening cover, but rather the intimation of hidden movement, of something preparing to pounce on any unwary or over-adventurous soul.
The monumental silence was broken by the dull tolling of a bell from the long dismantled chapel, amplified by the mist, filling the dip of the valley with warning. Those who had not already fled might hear another sound beneath the monotone of the bell. The echo of human voices raised in an ancient chant might be a welcome respite from the eeriness of this forgotten site.
Until realisation dawned that the sound emanated from the lipless mouths of the previous inhabitants, long-dead monks.
Chapter 2
Near Ledbury, Gloucestershire, September 1816
In my opinion,
said Colonel Maltravers through a helping of roast beef, the Wye Valley has gone to the dogs with all these tourists traipsing downstream in pleasure boats. I blame that fellow Gilpin for spouting on about the place. And no doubt, he’s made a pretty penny.
The Reverend Gilpin has popularised the unique beauty of the area not only for the benefit of sightseers, but also the local population.
Mr. Michaels, the vicar of the nearest village, overcame his natural timidity to support the reputation of a fellow clergyman at the perfect juncture.
The colonel had already shovelled in another meaty forkful, rendering him unable to disagree as the cleric expanded on his point. Many of the towns and villages between Ross and Chepstow have flourished from the influx of visitors, boosting local trade.
Before the colonel could swallow his mouthful and take the vicar to task, several of the ladies around the dining table chimed in, his wife amongst them. They agreed unanimously on the improvement of the quality and quantity of goods in local shops from the tourist trade, at least during the summer months.
Without paying much attention, Christian Maxwell heard his Aunt Amelia’s forthright voice raised in enquiry about where to buy the best quality trinkets and other more practical purchases.
He winced at the raised volume of the resulting chatter. Christian’s headache was worse than usual. He had little appetite as he picked at his portion of food. While physically present, he withdrew mentally, letting the sounds of dinner table conversation and the clink of eating irons and glasses fade into the background. The sooner the meal was over, the evening’s entertainment of a card game or an impromptu musical recital would begin. Christian didn’t anticipate these proceedings for pleasure, but as a signal that it wouldn’t be too long before he could retire to the peace of his allocated guest room.
Isn’t that right, Christian?
His aunt’s question brought him back