In This Quiet Earth — Rosemary Ellerbeck

He imagined that in this quiet earth he could hear the rumblings of subterranean thunder as though the echoes of conflict would surface all over again, destroying not only his inheritance, his home and his family, but everything he held dear.

The latest volume in The People of This Parish saga, takes up the story of war hero Carson who, having inherited the title from his late father Sir Guy, returns at the end of hostilities in 1919 to find the Woodville estate once more in financial difficulties. It is deeply in debt and urgently in need of extensive repairs thanks, largely, to the excesses of his extravagant and wilful stepmother Agnes who continues to live there, eventually with a new husband â€" apparently a wealthy baronet, but appearances can be deceptive.

Connie, Agnes' half-sister, once a shy, mousy eighteen-year-old whom the young Carson thoughtlessly jilted, returns to Wenham, elegant, self-possessed, and the mistress of a fortune. Carson finds himself falling in love with her for the first time â€" but can he convince Connie that he does not need her money and the past will not be repeated? However, the course of true love is anything but smooth.