The crisp October morning bathed Little Knobton in a golden haze, the hills of Midlingtonshire standing as silent witnesses to six months of upheaval. Samantha Farnsworth stood in the grand foyer of the Farnsworth manor, her six-foot frame poised with a quiet triumph. Her divorce from Charles was nearing its end, a protracted battle of…

The morning of October 25, 2025, draped Little Knobton in a soft autumn light, the hills of Midlingtonshire aglow with russet and gold. In the heart of the village, Emma Pritchard’s stone cottage stood as a quiet anchor, its ownership secured through Samantha’s triumph in the divorce. Inside, the front room hummed with the warmth…

The morning dawned gray over Little Knobton, the hills of Midlingtonshire cloaked in a damp mist that mirrored Charles Farnsworth’s mood. Five days had passed since the planning committee’s rejection of Farn Hollow, and the sting of defeat still burned. He arrived at the estate office, a terrace building on the village’s edge, before eight,…

The Reckoning Four weeks had passed since the sunlit afternoon by the waterfall, and Little Knobton stood on the brink of transformation, or preservation. It was April, and the Midlingtonshire County Council’s planning committee convened in the drab council chamber of the nearest town hall, ten miles from the village. The room hummed with tension,…

The following morning, broke over Little Knobton with a golden clarity, the hills of Midlingtonshire stretching into the distance like a painter’s dream. Deborah Miles and Lorie Grayson sat in their terrace house, the air thick with the scent of brewing tea as Richard Henshaw paced their small living room. His camera rested on the…

The morning sun rose over Little Knobton, casting long shadows across the hills of Midlingtonshire. Samantha Farnsworth drove through the village, her hands tight on the wheel of her sleek silver car, her mind a whirl of resolve and anticipation. It was March and the weight of Farn Hollow pressed heavier with each passing day.…

The dawn light crept through the heavy curtains of the Farnsworth manor, spilling across the vast master bedroom where Samantha lay tangled in silk sheets. Her tall, slim frame still held a quiet elegance, though the years had etched faint lines of weariness around her eyes. She stirred as Charles’ arm tightened around her waist,…

Little Knobton nestled in the rolling hills of Midlingtonshire like a secret whispered between the rugged peaks. The village, with its 400 houses and 1,127 souls, was a patchwork of stone cottages and winding lanes, framed by sheep-dotted pastures and, increasingly, swathes of woodland touted as carbon offsets. The air carried the faint bleat of…