Simon Dale
1898
England, 1647. A wise woman named Betty Nasroth predicted the birth of Simon Dale to the very day and district - but her prophecy held darker tidings. The child would love where the King loved, know what the King hid, drink of the King's cup. As Simon grows from boy to young man, he carries the weight of these words: Is he fated for greatness, or doomed by prediction? When he leaves his humble origins to move through the noble world surrounding King Charles I, Simon finds himself entangled in royal intrigue, political danger, and a passionate love triangle with Barbara Quinton, a lady of the manor, and Cydaria, a mysterious woman from his past. Anthony Hope - better known for The Prisoner of Zenda - crafts a darker, more psychologically complex tale here, one that asks whether we master our fate or simply fulfill it. The result is historical romance with teeth: an adventure through revolutionary England where every choice carries the shadow of prophecy, and love proves as dangerous as politics.
