The Golden Fleece - Softcover

Fourth novel in the Heart of Stone Saga. A stand alone title which follows on from the earlier trilogy: 'Brandy Row' (9781780882451),'Dawn To Deadly Nightshade' (9781783060238) and 'Legacy of Van Diemen's Land' (9781784623067). A series rich in local detail and atmosphere. The Golden Fleece begins with a vicious murder that later enmeshes the lives of those who live on the Alvington Estate in the unforgiving criminal underworld, leading to an innocent man being imprisoned. Billy Riddick is a stable boy who was employed at Alvington Manor straight from the Poor House. When Lucy Warren, the love of his life from Home Farm, marries the arrogant Ashleigh Seymour, Billy is devastated and moves away to Wincanton. He finds work and a new home at Hatherleigh Farm, the original site of Wincanton Races. However, his nemesis, Ashleigh Seymour turns up at the racecourse and Billy inadvertently becomes embroiled in his unsavoury drinking and gambling lifestyle. Lucy begins to regret her decision to marry him. When Ashleigh's gambling debts threaten to bring about his downfall, Billy tries to help him but with devastating consequences. This new story in the Heart of Stone Saga also continues the life at Alvington Manor with all its love stories, tragedies and heartache as well as the local traditions, celebrations and customs relating to that era. There are murders and weddings, a voyage to Australia and journeys to Europe, as this epic family saga continues.

Shelagh Mazey was born in Chichester in 1948. From the age of six she lived in Dorset. In 1972 she married and moved to South Somerset to renovate a derelict estate cottage on Camp Road overlooking the Brympton Estate. Alvington Manor is loosely based on Brympton.