In Chapter 15 of The Scandalous Hours: The Weight of the Crown, the dust of Hawksmere has barely settled, and silence has taken on the weight of mourning and consequence. Lady Alianor de Clervaux, once a silenced wife, now stands as the reluctant leader of a shattered estate—its tyrant imprisoned, its people grieving, its future uncertain. Within the cold stone walls of St. Cuthbert’s chapel, blood and faith mingle as wounds are tended, secrets confessed, and new alliances forged from ruin. But peace is never without a price. The whispers of witchcraft spread like smoke through the valley, fueled by fear and superstition. The priest, Father Clement, struggles to preserve truth as the lines between salvation and accusation blur. Meanwhile, Alianor faces a new kind of battle—not against her captor, but against the heavy crown of leadership, the fragile hope of her people, and the haunting possibility that the King’s justice may prove as cruel as Roland’s tyranny. Told through the haunting narration of Lady Aurelia Ravenshade, The Weight of the Crown explores survival, rebirth, and the peril of power in a world ruled by scandal, superstition, and blood. The Scandalous Hours are far from over—only their shape has changed. (Keywords: The Scandalous Hours, Lady Alianor de Clervaux, gothic historical fiction, medieval scandal, Hawksmere Mine, Lady Aurelia Ravenshade, historical drama, betrayal, justice, 14th century England, female power, dark romance.)