Preloved book: The Chase by Candida Clark

Saturday February 19th, 2005 marks the end of seven hundred years of riding to hounds in England... and the first day of illegal hunting.

In Wiltshire, a group of people are gathering at Eastleigh, home of Sir Leo Domeyne and his wife Celia. The family, no longer in its heyday, seems to arise to the occasion: the weekend has every appearance of being a last hurrah in spite of the ban.

But it's a fragile peace. Far more depends on this historic day than law, or politics, or social status. There are dark secrets hidden at the heart of the picture. Not everyone was invited; nor are their motives pure. Passion, jealousy and rage are simmering just below the surface and, as the classes mingle and old rivalries revive, it becomes clear quite how much can go wrong.

The hunt rides out. A fog descends. The field is divided. Two shots are fired.