The Noblemen

The Noblemen

Historical Romance

One girl’s coming-of-age in the custody of callous military leaders results in her rise to power in a 19th century patriarchy and a steep death toll.

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I’ve been working on this novel for many years and would like to share it with you all soon. It will hopefully be available in a few months. Please scroll down to learn more about the story and the main characters below!

Updates: @aarindurham on Instagram and @ad_novels Wattpad

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The Story: The Noblemen

The Noblemen is the story of two souls who discover love amid impossible circumstances, but are so buffeted by societal impediments they topple a nation.

The Main Characters

The Protagonist: Ember

Ember is a headstrong young mulatto of English descent who is abandoned in the care of her aunt and forced to work off the woman’s debt in the home of a pitiless dotard. Once she sabotages all of her aunt’s painstaking arrangements for her marriage to local suitors, she is left with no choice but to wed her elderly employer, as he is the only man still willing to have her.

In her eyes, this is a fate worse than death. At only fifteen years old and never having ventured beyond her tiny woodland village, Ember robs a man of his horse and sets off into the unknown. Devoid of shelter, all means of survival, and no final destination in mind, it is not long before she is thrown from the unruly steed and left for dead. When a company of soldiers stumble upon her cold and mired body, she realizes her misfortunes have only just begun.

Lost amid a sea of officers and trusting to none, Ember blossoms into womanhood in the custody of a man who contests her freedom at every turn. Chained and shipped overseas, never to see her family again, she must adapt to a life of drudgery and is forced to serve even the servants. Throughout this harrowing journey, she is thrown into many roles and endures many fates, all of which challenge her principles and task her heart.

Ultimately Ember becomes a girl willing to embark anywhere, risk anything, and confront anyone to acquire the man she loves. A man she should rightfully hate. If that means following him to realms ravaged with pestilence and war, she undertakes to do so without question. If that means attempting to learn his craft and mimicking the deeds of the soldiers she once impugned, she does not hesitate in the least.

The Antagonist: The Duke

A titan. A ruthless visionary. A man determined to gain by any means necessary. As the second most preeminent monarch in the country, this Grand Duke’s power, influence, and wealth fall only short of the King. He sits upon a sprawling duchy and a monopoly of violence, leading the country’s largest military arm and principal line of defense. As heir presumptive to the sitting King, who despite multiple marriages remains childless in his old age, the Duke will cut down anything in his path on his way to the throne. Having been bred to obtain this seat his entire life, nothing will stop him from acquiring what is rightfully owing to his bloodline. Not war, not pestilence, and least of all not the antics of a baseborn scullery maid unfit to enter his presence.

The Antagonist: The Captain

Lord Commander. Leader of the largest and most lethal military force in the country. His allegiance to the Duke is obsessive; and paralleled only by his faithfulness to his mission and his men. But from the moment he lays eyes on the unlikely trespasser brought before him for questioning, his world is irrevocably changed. Caught between duty and distraction, his loyalty will be continuously tested as he finds himself ill-prepared for war with this defiant ward. One who scoffs at the levers of power in his world and makes a mockery of the tenets he holds dear.

The Confidant: Tillary

Equally baseborn and leading a life of servitude, Tillary is a kindred spirit to Ember and joins the team’s travels mid-route before they embark across the Atlantic Ocean for Europe. Tilly is a headstrong barmaid and a survivor, unafraid to speak her mind, protect her dearest friend, or better her lot by any means necessary. The two maids developed a deep confidence and an enduring bond resilient to men, circumstance, and even forcible separation.

The Antagonist: The Lieutenant

As Lord Lieutenant, Storm is the fourth most powerful man in all the country and loyal to none but his sword. He has a lust for blood and violence, and in absence of the Commander, all must answer to him. Zealous, rigid, and at times unhinged, this officer is eager to get his hands dirty in pursuit of success and the completion of all missions.

(Although he does not feature prominently in the first book, he is introduced towards the latter half of the story and plays a key role in the madness of the ending. He will feature more prominently in Book 2 of this series, which deals with the fallout from the ending of Book 1.)

Witness An Indomitable Love…

Read 12 Scenes From The Noblemen Here: