The Rose Beyond

The year is 1897. Inevitability comes calling to the Washington, D. C. home of Sir Ian Hargrove, his wife, Elsbeth, and their daughter, Arielle, in this debut historical romance novel by Maryland writer, Sharon Allen Gilder. Life’s ambiguities and long-held secrets converge to embrace the power of the individual and test the resilience of relationships. A long-buried indiscretion melded with misplaced devotions threatens the stability of the Hargrove family and tests the strength of their bond. One woman, Alexandra Whitaker, is hell-bent on sabotaging their foundation as the tumultuous mix of passion, obsession, love, and loss forge her resolve. Discoveries from across the ocean led by shopkeeper and detective, Morgan Pennybacker accompanied by her assistant, Agnes Fielding, and parakeet, Peepers, portend to unhinge everything the family patriarch has worked so diligently to protect. The compassion and wisdom of a dowager confidante and her handsome nephew, William Clay, bring stability to the vicarious parameters established by death as one woman’s passing brings new hope, love, and transformation to the residents near and within Emma Willard’s estate, Chestnut Heights. From Wales, to England, to the U.S. capital, The Rose Beyond is a fragrant reminder of the tenacity of the human spirit and the power of love.