Three Winters Enslaved: The Manor Bows

For fifteen years, Joanna Vane shone as the beloved jewel of Silverwood Manor. Until the shattering day revealed she was a foundling—a counterfeit heiress. Overnight: The Lord and Lady who doted on her became Elena Shaw's devoted parents. Her cherished brother, Lord Cedric Vane, hurled Joanna from the manor balcony to please Elena. Her betrothed, the battle-scarred General Silas Graves, stood beside Elena as Joanna fell. To protect Elena, they let false accusations condemn Joanna. Not a word in her defense. Not a coin for her comfort. For three brutal winters, she labored in the Crown’s Steam Laundry—her hands raw from lye, her spirit starved in silence. Then spring came. Lord & Lady Vane wept at her garret door: “Joanna, forgive us! The Manor is yours!” Lord Cedric knelt all night on the cobbled steps, frost biting his brow: “Sister, grant me grace!” General Graves staggered to her gate, bloodied and broken: “Joanna... Look upon me once more!” But the girl who loved them died in the laundry’s gloom. Mercy? May the ravens feast on their bones! Now a new fire burns in Joanna—and a lord who sees only her strength. As she rebuilds her life, those who shattered her past dare not tread near... Lest they lose even the shadow of the woman they destroyed.