When Gertie Jackson lost her husband in the war, she left Richmond searching for a new life. She wanted peace for her tortured soul...and she found it in Wylder. Lane Hutchins rode to Wylder as a favor to an old friend...and to look once more upon the woman who'd stolen his heart years ago. When Gertie's preparations for the big Founder's Day festivities sets off a streak of vandalism, Lane knows he can't leave while she's in danger. But will his efforts to win her heart push her further from him, or will Wylder's magic work to finally bring them together?

This is a suspenseful novel in which Mark Wylder disappears just as he is about to marry Dorcas Brandon. He leaves no trace but finally, letters from him arrive with a European postmark. Meanwhile, a sinister figure appears and claims he is the rightful groom for Dorcas.

It was late in the autumn, and I was skimming along, through a rich English county, in a postchaise, among tall hedgerows gilded, like all the landscape, with the slanting beams of sunset. The road makes a long and easy descent into the little town of Gylingden, and down this we were going at an exhilarating pace, and the jingle of the vehicle sounded like sledge-bells in my ears, and its swaying and jerking were pleasant and life-like. I fancy I was in one of those moods which, under similar circumstances, I sometimes experience still—a semi-narcotic excitement, silent but delightful. An undulating landscape, with a homely farmstead here and there, and plenty of old English timber scattered grandly over it, extended mistily to my right; on the left the road is overtopped by masses of noble forest. The old park of Brandon lies there, more than four miles from end to end. These masses of solemn and discoloured verdure, the faint but splendid lights, and long filmy shadows, the slopes and hollows—my eyes wandered over them all with that strange sense of unreality, and that mingling of sweet and bitter fancy, with which we revisit a scene familiar in very remote and early childhood, and which has haunted a long interval of maturity and absence, like a romantic reverie.

The marriage of Mark Wylder and Dorkas Brenden is supposed to end a history of arguments between the two families. However, both people involved do not seem to like the idea. Before the wedding, Mark disappears. But to where? And how will the people around him react to his disappearance? J. Sheridan Le Fanu (28 August 1814 – 7 February 1873) was an Irish writer of Gothic tales and mystery novels. He was a leading ghost story writer of the nineteenth century and was central to the development of the genre in the Victorian era. M. R. James described Le Fanu as "absolutely in the first rank as a writer of ghost stories". Three of his best-known works are Uncle Silas, Carmilla and The House by the Churchyard.

Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu (1814 –1873) was an Irish writer of Gothic novels, one of the most infl uential ghost story writers of the nineteenth century. “Wylder’s Hand” tells the story of the Wilders and the Brandon, two families sharing a story of rivalry and intermarriage. The Wedding of Mark Wylder and his rich cousin Dorcas Brendon is about to happen. Although everyone understands, there is no love involved. However, everything changes when right before the wedding Mark suddenly disappears.

Lillian is devastated. Her goal of owning an apothecary in Wylder, Wyoming is dashed. Her family has promised her in wedlock by proxy, and she hopes her spouse is a reasonable man. Can they forge a compromise about the shop, as well as their marriage? Hank's hopes aren't high when it comes to his sight-unseen bride. Heck, he'd settle for a good cook and a warm body. However, Lillian is a lady and skittish as a wild filly—determined to take things slow. She proves her point by sleeping in the guest room. Just as Lillian begins to fall in love, and yearns to become a true wife, Hank is shot. With potions handed down by her ghostly Gammy she works to keep him alive. Will death come calling or will Hank live to share the last unclaimed piece of property on their homestead…his bed?

This eBook features the unabridged text of ‘Wylder’s Hand by Sheridan Le Fanu - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ from the bestselling edition of ‘The Complete Works of Sheridan Le Fanu’. Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. The Delphi Classics edition of Fanu includes original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of the author, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily. eBook features: * The complete unabridged text of ‘Wylder’s Hand by Sheridan Le Fanu - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ * Beautifully illustrated with images related to Fanu’s works * Individual contents table, allowing easy navigation around the eBook * Excellent formatting of the textPlease visit www.delphiclassics.com to learn more about our wide range of titles

Reproduction of the original. The publishing house Megali specialises in reproducing historical works in large print to make reading easier for people with impaired vision.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1838.