✧ Book Spotlight ✧ The Many Lives & Loves of Hazel Lavery by Lois Cahall

 

The Many Lives & Loves of Hazel Lavery

By Lois Cahall

In the heart of tumultuous times, amidst the grandeur of Victorian opulence, there existed an American socialite whose influence altered the course of the Anglo-Irish treaty:

Lady Hazel Lavery

Boston-born Hazel ascended from her Irish roots to become the quintessential Society Queen of Chicago, and later London, where she lived a delicate dance between two worlds: one with her esteemed husband, Sir John Lavery, a portrait artist to royalty, and the other with Michael Collins, the daring Irish rebel whose fiery spirit ignited her heart. Together, they formed a love triangle that echoed through the corridors of power at 10 Downing Street, London.

Hazel's wit and charm touched on the lives of the who's-who of England including Winston Churchill, George Bernard Shaw and Evelyn Waugh. The image of her memorable face graced the Irish note for close to half-a-century.

Excerpt

The next afternoon John was painting a Lady Somebody-or-another who wanted her portrait to hang beside a Gainsborough in her husband’s ancestral hall. On the final day of the finished portrait, the Lady arrived with her husband who examined the portrait closely. His eyes roamed the canvas beginning at the head, then with his hand he traveled downward across the painting.

The husband finally spoke, “I pass the forehead and the eyes.”

“Very good,” said John, nodding.

“I pass the nose, the mouth, and the chin.”

“Excellent!” said John.

But then the man roamed his hands lower over the painting around his wife’s throat until he came upon her chest. “What is this flat-chested modernity that I see?”

“Pardon?” asked John.

“Where is the snowy amplitude of Her Ladyship?”

The man’s wife interjected. “I will not have an eighth of an inch added! I refuse!”

On cue I walked into the studio to interrupt, moving toward the painting but not before making eye contact with the husband. “So sorry, I think it’s quite lovely. Just as is,” I said to the man. “It captures her stunning beauty, her adoration of the man she’s gifted the painting to... you.” I let loose a big toothy smile and he smiled back.

“Well, if Lady Lavery thinks it’s fine...”

“I do... think it’s fine,” I said. “More than fine.” And I moved toward the wife. “Look at how beautiful she is and look how beautifully John has captured her… ah, sexuality ever so discreetly.”

“Yes,” said the man, inspecting the painting again. “By George, I think she’s right!”

And at that, everyone shook hands, and the deal was done. Off went the painting and the couple.

Left alone with John, I cornered him. “Sit, love, here.” And I pointed to the two chairs.

“Yes, my love,” said John, his tone suggesting he knew something was coming.

“It was lovely of you to paint Sir James Barrie last week. And it was so darling of him to gift me an autographed copy of his most treasured Peter Pan...”

“Yes, Hazel,” said John, wondering where this was all going.

“And I love when Sir Barrie dines with us. He’s always such a fan of my duck sauce.”

“Undoubtedly your biggest fan. Most certainly in the top ten of male admirers.”

“Right,” I said. “And I adore him.” I paused for effect, moving forward, and taking John’s hand in mine, the sun streaming through on various canvases and catching my expression just so.

“And he so loved when you did that portrait of him as a favor to me... the one where you made him pose as if working on that wooden bench, with the bench in semi darkness to camouflage his height. Would you say he’s about five feet?”

“Five foot, yes, dear,” assured John.

“And when I suggested we might donate the painting to the National Gallery of Scotland, well, he was thrilled and...”

“Hazel. What is the point?”

“The point is Mr. Barrie would love to meet Mr. Collins.”

“Mr. Collins?!” questioned John with sarcasm in his tone. “Is that what we’re calling that Renegade these days, Mr. Collins?”

“Well, it is his name,” I said, with sarcasm. John said nothing, only huffing under his breath. 

“Oh, Johnnie,” I begged, “please paint Michael Collins and the others from Ireland.” John eyed me up and down, the look on my pleading face not budging. “Just for historical reasons.”

“It would be fine, my love, except I have so many commissions lined up. And now I’m training Winston to paint, good God. Now they’re calling him my pupil.”

“Which, of course, is highly flattering,” I interrupted. “But you know it was me who taught him to paint. It’s how he got the bug to be an artist.”

“Yes, you certainly did,” said John. “And how you ever convinced him to paint a still life of an empty bottle of spirits and a crystal bowl of fruit...”

“Well, he was a lovely student,” I said.

“Oh, Poppet,” sighed John, using his pet name for me, then pulling back his hand from mine he

rested it in his lap with a deep sigh. “Darling, I just don’t know that I have the time...”

“Yes, but time does not count where a masterpiece is at stake,” I said, scanning his many portraits. “So, you will, won’t you Johnnie? Won’t you...”

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/boVGBp

Lois Cahall

Lois Cahall began her writing career as a columnist for Cape Cod newspapers and local periodicals, including Cape Cod Life. She spent a decade writing for national magazines (Conde Nast/Hearst). Her articles have been published in Cosmo Girl, Seventeen, SELF, Marie Claire, Redbook, Ladies Home Journal, Reader’s Digest, Men’s Journal, and Bon Appetit. In the UK she wrote for RED, GQ, Psychologies, and for The Times. In addition, Lois wrote profiles for The Palm Beach Post. 

Lois’s first novel, Plan C: Just in Case, was a #1 bestseller in the UK, where it remained in the top three fiction for the year before selling into foreign translation markets. In July of 2014, her novel hit #1 on the Nook “Daily Deal” in America. Her second novel, Court of the Myrtles, was hailed as “Tuesdays with Morrie on estrogen” by Ladies Home Journal. Her latest novel, The Many Lives of Hazel Lavery, is a work of bio-fiction (January 2025) 

Lois is the former Creative Director of Development for JPE/James (Jim) Patterson Entertainment. She credits her friend, Jim, the world’s most successful bestselling author, with teaching her the importance of children’s love of reading. As a result, she founded the Palm Beach Book Festival in 2015, an annual event bringing in NYT bestselling and celebrity authors. The event is for book lovers, nurturing the written word for the children and adults of southern Florida. 

In 2024 Lois also founded The Cape Cod Book Festival, an annual autumn event that promises to be a new cultural footprint in Massachusetts. It will be for locals and ‘washashores’ alike – a magical place where charitably minded readers can rub elbows with great writers and thinkers.  

Lois divides her life between New York and Cape Cod, although her spiritual home is London. But most importantly, Lois can do the Hula Hoop for an hour non-stop and clear a Thanksgiving table in just under ten minutes.

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✧ Book Spotlight ✧ The Fires of Gallipoli by Barney Campbell

 

The Fires of Gallipoli 

By Barney Campbell

The Fires of Gallipoli is a heartbreaking portrayal of friendship forged in the trenches of the First World War.

 

‘In this vivid and engaging novel of war and friendship, Barney Campbell shows us once again that he is a natural writer. This is a novel of men at arms of the highest quality.’ 

~ Alexander McCall Smith

Edward Salter is a shy, reserved lawyer whose life is transformed by the outbreak of war in 1914. On his way to fight in the Gallipoli campaign, he befriends the charming and quietly courageous Theodore Thorne. Together they face the carnage and slaughter, stripped bare to their souls by the hellscape and only sustained by each other and the moments of quiet they catch together.

Thorne becomes the crutch whom Edward relies on throughout the war. When their precious leave from the frontline coincides, Theo invites Edward to his late parents’ idyllic estate in Northamptonshire. Here Edward meets Thorne’s sister Miranda and becomes entranced by her.

Edward escapes the broiling, fetid charnel-house of Gallipoli to work on the staff of Lord Kitchener, then on to the Western Front and post-war espionage in Constantinople. An odd coolness has descended between Edward and Theo. Can their connection and friendship survive the overwhelming sense of loss at the end of the war when everything around them is corrupted and destroyed?

 

The Fires of Gallipoli is a heartbreaking, sweeping portrayal of friendship and its fragility at the very limits of humanity.

Excerpt

Everywhere was screaming and vicious, animal grunting. Edward seemed for a moment to have been put there artificially, a spectator to some alien carnage, enclosed entirely by the night and cut off from everything outside. He had no idea who else was alive, where Rossi was, if the battalion understood what was happening, on how wide a frontage the Turkish assault was. Then there was a gap in the flares going up and for ten seconds the trench seethed in complete darkness, no one knowing what on earth they were shooting or hacking at before another one came up and the sickly light resumed.

Edward could hear Thorne’s voice through the din. ‘Keep at it, men! Keep at it! Man the line, man the line, stand to, stand to!’ he screamed, shoving men up to the firestep. He reached down to one prostrate figure, shouting, ‘Get up, man, get up there or I’ll kill you myself,’ and then, realising he was dead, dropped him to the floor.

Edward started to follow his lead, realising that the immediate danger was over and the first Turkish attack had withered. Now they had to ensure a second one wouldn’t get nearly as close. He peered over the parapet, the first time he had dared to do so, seeing the yellow lights of the dropping flares swirling in the interplay with the darkness. In the trench the screams of the fight started to give way to shouts of military order, instructions being barked, ammunition being called for.

And then the Turks came again.

The night passed. It passed in hideous technicolour, it passed in clinical, anodyne black and white. It passed in unearthly screams, tense silence, tears of grief and primal howls. It passed in calm commands, stentorian bellows and soft whispers into ears urging the dying to go well. Tracers bouncing off rocks faded like shooting stars into the sky and over Achi Baba. Bullets flew, sometimes dully into sandbags and sometimes ricocheting angrily off metal or bone. Shrieks of artillery covered first a Turkish withdrawal and then set the foundations for a new attack at midnight, throwing earth up in great plumes, bursting eardrums and shredding nerves.

Splintered images heaped up in Edward’s brain, his blinks a camera shutter that burned the scenes onto his mind. A Turk thrown bodily in the air by a shell to land, impaled, on a barbed wire post. Marks appearing down the line, his arm hanging shredded by his side, to tell Edward matter-of-factly that Rossi had been killed, shot in the chest, in the first wave of the assault, before he, in turn, collapsed. Baffle on the firestep firing round after round into each new wave. A wounded Turk on the floor of the trench striking a grenade as Cradley tried to stem the bleeding from his chest, its blast riddling him with metal slivers as he died in blinded screams some glacial minutes later. Thorne walking up the line with his revolver, encouraging the men on. Haynes-Mattingly white and in shock after taking a bullet in the calf and his hand livid with a burn from the barrel of a Turkish rifle which he had grabbed to push away from him before shooting his attacker. He would be out for weeks with those wounds, Edward thought dispassionately.

The fighting finally ceased at around three o’clock. At the arrival of the grainy half-light before dawn, the true scale of the night was laid bare for them all to see: dead men looking as though they were sleeping and those left alive moving as if they were dead.

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/4XkEq6

Barney Campbell

Barney Campbell, author of The Fires of Gallipoli, was brought up in the Scottish Borders and studied Classics at university. He then joined the British Army where he commanded soldiers on a tour of Helmand Province, Afghanistan at the height of the war there.

That experience inspired him to write his first novel Rain, a novel about the war, which was published by Michael Joseph in 2015. The Times called it ‘the greatest book about the experience of soldiering since Robert Graves’s First World War classic Goodbye To All That’.

Barney has walked the length of the Iron Curtain, from Szczecin in Poland to Trieste in Italy. He currently works and lives in London.

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✧ Book Spotlight ✧ Murder on West Lake by I. M. Foster

Murder on West Lake

By I. M. Foster

A scream shattered the tranquil air, echoing off the ice-covered lake, and Daniel's heart froze. He knew that voice all too well.

After a pleasant afternoon of ice skating on the frozen waters of West Lake, local librarian Kathleen Brissedon stumbles across a gruesome sight in the nearby gazebo. It only takes a moment for her beau, assistant coroner Doctor Daniel O'Halleran, to determine that the victim was murdered.

To protect Kathleen from the ghastly sight of the man’s slashed throat, Daniel insists she return home while he examines the body further. Though the immediate cause of death appears obvious, he fears the subsequent autopsy will uncover more questions than answers, and it's clear that he has his work cut out for him if he's going to find the person responsible.

Kathleen has no intention of remaining demurely at home, not when there's a murder to solve. Slipping back to the scene, she conducts her own investigation. Though her discoveries prove interesting, Daniel is too concerned about her safety to stifle his annoyance, especially after the killer makes a second attempt closer to home. But as the puzzle pieces begin to fall into place and Daniel starts closing in on the truth, the killer sets their sights on him.

With the danger increasing, Kathleen intent on assisting in the investigation, and his family descending on Patchogue to spend the Christmas holidays, Daniel has his hands full. 

Will he and Kathleen be able to put their heads together and discover who is behind the attacks, or will the killer continue to plague the tranquil South Shore village unhindered?

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mlO8vq

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

I. M. Foster

I. M. Foster is the pen name author Inez Foster uses to write her South Shore Mystery series, set on Edwardian Long Island. Inez also writes historical romances under the pseudonym Andrea Matthews and has so far published two series in that genre: the Thunder on the Moor series, a time-travel romance set on the 16th century Anglo-Scottish Borders, and the Cross of Ciaran series, which follows the adventures of a fifth century Celt who finds himself in love with a twentieth-century archaeologist.

Inez is a historian and librarian, who loves to read and write and search around for her roots, genealogically speaking. She has a BA in History and an MLS in Library Science and enjoys doing the research almost as much as she does the actual writing of the story. In fact, many of her ideas come to her while doing casual research or digging into her family history. Inez is a member of the Long Island Romance Writers, the Historical Novel Society, and Sisters in Crime.

Author Links:

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✧ Book Spotlight ✧ Lalji’s Nairobiy Nitin Nanji

 

Lalji’s Nairobi

By Nitin Nanji

Publication Date: 30th August 2023

Publisher: Self-published

Pages: 282 

Genre: Historical Fiction

British Gujarat, 1905.

Despairing of the social injustices and crippling taxes under the British Raj, Lalji, 19, flees to British East Africa hoping to build a better life using his natural business skills and acumen. But he soon finds unexpected dangers in his new home- turbulent politics and war with German East Africa- as well as some surprising opportunities. A combination of luck, coincidence, and his flair for commerce lead to early success. 

Then, just as he is at his most vulnerable, a new threat emerges from where he least expects: from within his own family. 

Can Lalji beat overwhelming odds to fulfill his hopes and ambitions?

A story about survival, faith, ability, humanity, and a deep desire to succeed.

Excerpt

When Lalji reached home, there were three ladies present from the Mandir. 

One was in the kitchen making tea and boiling water and another was in the bedroom, with Janki who was in labour. The third lady was scuttling from kitchen to bedroom and responding to orders given. Husnara was at Janki’s side holding her hand and assisting. She saw Lalji come in and take off his black hat before sitting down on an armchair. 

 “The baby is on its way,” she blurted out to Lalji in a panicked voice. “The water broke this afternoon.”

 “What’s broken? Shall I get it fixed?”

Husnara stared at him blankly, then realised Lalji had no clue and burst out laughing. The other ladies caught on and soon everyone, including Janki, were laughing. Lalji realised it was to do with childbirth and what he said must have sounded ridiculous. He too saw the funny side and started to laugh. Nizar, who had followed Naran, volunteered to go to Dr Shah’s dispensary to inform him. 

Late in the night, the sound of a baby chocking and crying out angrily replaced the shrieks of Janki. Lalji and Nizar, seated in the living room looked at each other and smiled. The lady who had been doing the running and fetching came out with tears rolling down her cheeks, announced to Lalji that it was a girl. 

When Lalji was finally handed his daughter, he held her tight and felt a mix of emotions welling up inside. 

“Please don’t squeeze her so tight, Laljibhai,” the lady was telling him. But he was lost, staring at his newborn daughter, oblivious of all around him. He saw how perfectly she was formed, red-faced and flat-nosed, with a thick growth of hair. He sat and enjoyed his sense of awe while Nizar went to inform Bhasker and Khimji.

Realising his absent mindedness he asked, “How is Janki?”

 “She is fine, Laljibhai. Tired and needs to sleep. She just fed the baby. Give us a little time while we give her a wash and make her comfortable. Meanwhile, you are in charge of your little Laxmi!”

Lalji realised how bizarre it sounded to refer to a delicate baby as Laxmi, the powerful Goddess. He felt a strong desire to protect the baby. Lalji handed the baby to Nizar when he returned with the other two partners. The three men then started to fuss over the new-born who had fallen asleep.

Lalji went to see Janki when he was allowed. He kissed her forehead, held her hands in his and sunk his forehead between them. Both started to cry.

*The ebook will be free to download on Kindle from February 4th – 8th, 2025*

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mgoPW6 

This title is available to read on #Kindle Unlimited.

Nitin Nanji

Historical novelist of Indian parentage, born and raised in Kenya, educated in England, writing about India and East Africa under the British Empire.

Nitin has come to writing his debut novel after retiring as a doctor. Born in Kenya before its independence he came to England at the age of fifteen. His parentage is Indian, his grandfather having moved during the British Raj from Gujarat in India to Colonial East Africa as an economic migrant.

'Lalji's Nairobi' is set in the early part of the last century, inspired by the stories of Indian migrants who settled in East Africa. A 'rags to riches' story of the experiences of Lalji as a determined young businessman who grapples with the challenges of living in the new colony.

Within the backdrop of a racist administration, Nitin immerses the reader into the times and norms of colonial society and shows how Lalji achieves rapid success despite difficult odds, leading a team of four compatriots from his village.

The novel is well-researched and retains the undertones of the era. Nitin's intimate knowledge of the three cultures of the colony (British, Indian, and African) succeeds in making this an enjoyable and authentic read.

'Lalji's Nairobi' is now an award-winning novel that recently won acclaim from the prestigious New Generation Indie Book Awards as a 'Finalist'. It also earned Five Stars and the 'Highly Recommended' award of excellence from The Historical Fiction Company, which has recently also awarded the book with a silver medal in the Blixen Africa Category.

Author Links:

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✧ Book Spotlight ✧ The Lotus House by Ann Bennett

 

The Lotus House
By Ann Bennett

Publication Date: 9th October 2024
Publisher: Andaman Press
Pages: 337 
Genre: Historical Fiction / Historical Romance / Historical Asian Fiction

A gripping, emotional drama of love and courage set in the Philippines during WW2.

1960: Nancy Drayton, an American nurse living on Lake Sebu, is visited by a stranger who hands her some faded letters, given to her by a dying man. Reading them transports Nancy back to the terror of the war years.

1941: When Nancy’s world is blown apart by the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, she volunteers to travel to the Philippines to serve at the front. She soon finds herself working in a field hospital on the Bataan Peninsula in the thick of the fighting, experiencing the horrors of war first hand.

When tending to some wounded men, she meets Captain Robert Lambert, and they become close. But the Japanese are closing in on Bataan, and when the US surrenders, they are driven apart.

As Robert struggles to survive the horrors of the Bataan Death March and the brutality of captivity in a prison camp, Nancy too finds herself a captive, fighting for her life. Will they survive to find one another again or will the forces of war keep them apart?

If you enjoy compelling historical fiction, you’ll love this sweeping story of love and war. 

Praise for Ann Bennett:

‘What an amazing read!!! I didn't expect this to be a roller coaster of emotions, suspense, and mystery but it was everything!!… The characters were amazing, the story will keep you wanting more and more until the end.’

~ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘So captivating, I was on edge while flipping through the pages as fast as I could… Truly heartwarming… Emotional, heartbreaking … I loved this… A must read… Amazing.’

~ Page Turners, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

*Reduced to 0.99 for a limited time!*
Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/lotushouse 
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Ann Bennett

Ann Bennett is a British author of historical fiction. Her first book, Bamboo Heart: A Daughter's Quest, was inspired by researching her father's experience as a prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma Railway and by her own journey to uncover his story. It won the Asian Books Blog prize for fiction published in Asia in 2015, and was shortlisted for the best fiction title in the Singapore Book Awards 2016. 

That initial inspiration led her to write more books about WWII in Southeast Asia – Bamboo Island: The Planter's Wife, A Daughter's Promise, Bamboo Road: The Homecoming, The Tea Planter's Club, The Amulet, and The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu. Along with The Lotus House, published in October 2024, they make up the Echoes of Empire Collection.

Ann is also the author of The Oriental Lake Collection - The Lake Pavilion and The Lake Palace, both set in British India during the 1930s and WWII, and The Lake Pagoda and The Lake Villa, set in French Indochina during the same period. A Rose in the Blitz – the first in the Sisters of War series and set in London during WWII, was published in March 2024.

The Lake Pagoda won a bronze medal for historical fiction in Asia in the Coffee Pot Book Club, Book of the Year awards 2022. The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu won a silver medal for dual-timeline historical fiction, and A Rose in the Blitz won bronze in the historical romance category in the Coffee Pot Book Club, Book of the Year awards 2024.

The Runaway Sisters, USA Today bestselling The Orphan House, The Child Without a Home and The Forgotten Children are set in Europe during the same era and are published by Bookouture. Her latest book, The Stolen Sisters, published on 29th November 2024 is the follow-up to The Orphan List (published by Bookouture in August 2024) and is set in Poland and Germany during WWII.

A former lawyer, Ann is married with three grown up sons and a granddaughter and lives in Surrey, UK. For more details, please visit www.annbennettauthor.com.

Author Links:

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✧ Book Excerpt ✧ The Fugitive’s Sword by Eleanor Swift-Hook

The Fugitive’s Sword 
by Eleanor Swift-Hook

Publication Date: 8th October 2024

Publisher: Schiavona Books (author’s own imprint)

Pages: 305

Genre: Historical Adventure

Autumn 1624

Europe is deeply embroiled in what will become the Thirty Years' War.

A young Philip Lord, once favoured at King James' court, has vanished without a trace, under the shadow of treason.

Outside the besieged city of Breda, Captain Matthew Rider faces the brutal reality of wintering his cavalry in the siege lines, until he crosses paths with Filippo Schiavono, a young man whose courage and skill could change everything.

Kate, Lady Catherine de Bouqulement, arrives in London prepared to navigate the dangerous politics of King James' court to ensure troops are sent to her mistress, the exiled Queen of Bohemia.

Within Breda’s walls, a foundling named Jorrit unwittingly stumbles into a lethal conspiracy when Schiavono hires him, supposedly to help sell smuggled tobacco. But Schiavono’s plans go awry and they are compelled to flee the city, only to be captured at sea.

If Schiavono is unable to prove his loyalty and ruthlessness to a savage Dunkirker privateer captain, both he and Jorrit will face certain death.

Meanwhile, in London, Kate is forced to fight her own battle against those seeking to coerce her into their schemes and finds herself trapped in a terrifying and deadly power struggle.

Driven by violence, treachery, and the sea's merciless tides, their fates collide.

Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/TheFugitivesSword 

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited. 

Excerpt

Inside the besieged city of Breda, November 1624

“Love maketh lean the fat men’s tumour,

So doth tobacco.

Love still dries up the wanton humour,

So doth tobacco.”

Jorrit heard the voice raised lightly in song and scrambled out from his hiding place behind the tavern’s cesspit. The Englishman. If Jorrit was quick enough he might get to him before any of the other boys, as he had on a previous occasion. Then he might hope to earn some pennings. Many pennings indeed. The last time he had helped the Englishman he had been rewarded with a whole dubbeltje. Incentive enough to send Jorrit scurrying.

“Love makes men sail from shore to shore,

So doth tobacco.

‘Tis fond love often makes men poor

So doth tobacco.”

Having some understanding of English, Jorrit heard the words and knew what the Englishman would be bringing. He was a tobacco smuggler.

Breda had had plenty of time to prepare itself for the siege and was well provisioned with just about everything from ham and cheese to bread and fruit, and there were animals and stocks of grain ready at need. Everyone, even Jorrit, knew they could last until next year easily and no one thought for a moment the Spanish would stay so long as that. It was late November and once the winter really began to bite, they would die like flies and those who were left would desert or withdraw. That was of course if the Stadtholder Maurits, half-brother to Justinus von Nassau who commanded the garrison here, did not before that bring an army in strength and sweep the Spanish into the sea.

Jorrit had heard all this, and he had no reason to doubt it. But he also knew that when the burghers had laid their plans and made provision in their stocks and supplies, they had thought of wine and beer, but no one had considered that they might need a supply of tobacco. He knew because everyone complained about it.

Which was why the Englishman came sneaking into the city. Tobacco here was worth ten times what he might get for it in Amsterdam or Haarlem or even amongst the Spanish outside the walls. The Englishman was just one of the men risking his life to penetrate those Spanish troops and reach the defences where there were many eager to help him inside with his precious cargo. And then he needed boys like Jorrit to help carry the load and distribute his wares.

“Love makes men scorn all coward fears,

So doth tobacco.

Love often sets men by the ears,

So doth tobacco.”

To Jorrit’s delight there were no other boys in sight. But then it was not yet dawn and the only people who were up were those preparing for the working day. If he had not been out early to try and fish, Jorrit himself would have been curled up in his truckle in Moeder Machteld’s attic. As it was, he had not managed to fish at all and had even lost his line and the carefully collected bait. One of the men he had cozened out of five duits the previous day had also been out fishing and, seeing him, had given chase. Which was why Jorrit had concealed himself behind the cesspit in the first place.

If Moeder Machteld knew he had been out thieving again she would box his ears and maybe even throw him out of the house. If he could get honest work with the Englishman, he could bring her the money in good conscience and she would not believe the tales that the fisherman might take to her.

He caught up with the Englishman and then had to half run still to match his broad stride. He was carrying a huge pack, but the weight of it seemed not to slow him at all.

“You need a runner again, sir? I can help you, sir. You will remember I was very useful to you last time. I’m the boy who can speak English.”

The Englishman stopped and looked down at him. Despite himself Jorrit shivered inside. The man’s eyes were as cold as the sea in winter and the turquoise colour of it on a clear day. He wore a sword with a basket hilt and looked as if he would be happy to use it given any excuse. He had hair that was white, but not from age—far from it, he was not at all an old man. In fact, he looked no older than Pieter who’d just turned sixteen and had once been one of Moeder Machteld’s boys but now worked for her, keeping the house in good repair and turning away those who came to the door and were unwelcome. The Englishman was taller than Pieter though, but his shoulders were not so broad nor his chest as deep. He frowned now, as if annoyed that Jorrit had troubled him.

“I know my numbers,” Jorrit said quickly., “I can read and write too.” Moeder Machteld had seen to that as she did for all the boys she took under her roof. She made sure they all went to school at least two or three mornings each week and then made them read to her from their pocket books.

“If I remember, you are called Jorrit,” the Englishman said. “Last time I was here you found out some information for me.”

He had not forgotten.

Jorrit nodded and grinned. It had been easy enough. The Englishman had wanted to know the size and strength of the Spanish and defending forces around the southern gate and needed a sketch of the defences there so he could see if that might offer him a better route into the city. As time went on and the Spanish lines drew ever more tightly, Jorrit knew it was becoming harder for men to sneak in and out and new routes were needed.

“That’s me, sir. Can I help you again today, sir?”

The Englishman was looking at him with a little more interest now.

“I’m not sure, can you?” He hefted the heavy pack on his shoulders then slid it to the ground. “Here, you look strong enough. You can carry this.”

Eleanor Swift-Hook

Eleanor Swift-Hook enjoys the mysteries of history and fell in love with the early Stuart era at university when she re-enacted battles and living history events with the English Civil War Society. Since then, she has had an ongoing fascination with the social, military and political events that unfolded during the Thirty Years’ War and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. 

The Soldier's Stand, book two in Lord's Learning and the sequel to The Fugitive's Sword, is now available for preorder and will be released on 25 February, 2025.

She lives in County Durham and loves writing stories woven into the historical backdrop of those dramatic times.

Author Links:

Website ✧ Twitter ✧ Facebook ✧ Bluesky ✧ BookBub ✧ Amazon Author Page ✧ Goodreads

✧ Book Excerpt ✧ THE USURPER KING by Mercedes Rochelle

 

THE USURPER KING by Mercedes Rochelle
Book 4 of The Plantagenet Legacy

Publication Date: 

The Usurper King: 4/5/21    The Accursed King: 4/18/22

Publisher: Sergeant Press

Pages: The Usurper King : 305 pages    The Accursed King: 301 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction / Medieval Historical Fiction

From Outlaw to Usurper, Henry Bolingbroke fought one rebellion after another.

First, he led his own uprising. Then he captured a forsaken king. Henry had no intention of taking the crown for himself; it was given to him by popular acclaim. Alas, it didn't take long to realize that that having the kingship was much less rewarding than striving for it. Only three months after his coronation, Henry IV had to face a rebellion led by Richard's disgruntled favorites. Repressive measures led to more discontent. His own supporters turned against him, demanding more than he could give. The haughty Percies precipitated the Battle of Shrewsbury which nearly cost him the throne—and his life.

To make matters worse, even after Richard II's funeral, the deposed monarch was rumored to be in Scotland, planning his return. The king just wouldn't stay down and malcontents wanted him back.

THE ACCURSED KING by Mercedes Rochelle

Book 5 of The Plantagenet Legacy

What happens when a king loses his prowess?

The day Henry IV could finally declare he had vanquished his enemies, he threw it all away with an infamous deed. No English king had executed an archbishop before. And divine judgment was quick to follow. Many thought he was struck with leprosy—God's greatest punishment for sinners. From that point on, Henry's health was cursed and he fought doggedly on as his body continued to betray him—reducing this once great warrior to an invalid.

Fortunately for England, his heir was ready and eager to take over. But Henry wasn't willing to relinquish what he had worked so hard to preserve. No one was going to take away his royal prerogative—not even Prince Hal. But Henry didn't count on Hal's dauntless nature, which threatened to tear the royal family apart.

The Usurper King: https://books2read.com/u/3nkRJ9 

The Accursed King: https://books2read.com/u/b5KpnG 

Excerpt

EXCERPT FROM THE USURPER KING

EDWARD OF YORK DECIDES TO BETRAY HIS CO-CONSPIRATORS DURING THE EPIPHANY RISING

For once Edward of Rutland was glad his retainers rode behind him, leaving him to his own thoughts. His route led him in either of two directions: the appointed meeting place at Kingston, or his father's manor in Burnham, close to Windsor. It was time to decide. Musing, he watched as a courier rode toward them from the opposite direction. He recognized the man, a confidential servant of John Holland. 

"My lord," the messenger said, leaning over with a letter. He didn't even need to dismount. 

Taking the dispatch, Rutland dismissed him. "I thank you for your trouble. I will send my own man with a response." 

Looking confused, the other nodded and turned back. It was not his place to question an earl.

Waiting until the courier was safely on his way, Rutland opened the letter. To Edward, Earl of Rutland. We are surprised and distressed that you are not here at the appointed hour. We remind you of your bond and your oath. Whatever the reason, make sure you meet us at Colnbrook in time for our projected enterprise.

Their concern was well placed. During the last few weeks, Rutland had vacillated in his intentions. He hadn't asked to be part of this rebellion; the others had just assumed he would join them. For many years he was one of them—one of Richard's closest advisors and even a friend, on a good day. As one of the Counter-Appellants, he had shared their disgrace. 

But there was more. He kept thinking of that last day in the Tower, when Richard had called him a villain and a traitor and kicked his hat across the floor. Richard nursed his resentments for years; the man may never forgive him, even if rescued. The other conspirators knew nothing of this disturbing moment. The only witnesses were his father and King Henry. Was it worth the risk to rescue a king who might prove his own undoing?

Rutland frowned. Loyalty to the others would only go so far. They wouldn't save him if he was arrested. On the other hand, his father had guaranteed his good behavior. If he betrayed that trust and joined the rebellion he could be disinherited.

He hated to admit it to himself, but his unsavory reputation wasn't entirely unjustified. He didn't necessarily mean to shift loyalties; it's just that situations arose when he had to make unfortunate choices to protect himself. Nonetheless, people didn't trust him. Look at the fiasco during the last Parliament! The floor was littered with gages. If he betrayed the Counter-Appellants this time, his notoriety would cling to him the rest of his life.

On the other hand, if he exposed the conspiracy, the king would be eternally grateful. So what was the difficulty?

Reaching the crossroads, he turned the horse toward his father's manor. 

As usual, the Duke of York could be found in his solar sunk deep in a chair with lots of pillows to support his arthritic back. He was dictating a letter to his secretary and raised his cane in welcome as Rutland came in. 

"How do you feel today, father?"

"No better nor worse than usual," he grunted. "That will be all for now," he waved to his secretary. "Throw another log on the fire before you leave, would you?"

His secretary obliged while his son helped himself to some wine. 

"There's something I need to tell you," Rutland said, sitting down.

"What has happened?"

"A conspiracy, father."

York stiffened in his chair, letting out a grunt of pain. "Against the king?"

"I'm afraid so. They tried to involve me. I went along at first, um, so I could learn what they were planning. Here." He pulled out the deed with all six seals and handed it to his father. 

Smoothing his scraggly beard, the duke read the document. "Restore King Richard or die in the attempt?" His mouth fell open. "Whose seals are these? I recognize both Hollands and yours..."

"And Salisbury, Despenser, and Maudeleyn. There are many more involved, of course."

"What madness is this? When is this supposed to happen?"

"The attack will be on the Epiphany. We must get to the king."

"We? What are you planning?"

"They, father. We are going to stop them." 

Disbelieving, York waved him on. 

"They are sending confederates hiding in wagons along with the harnesses and trappings for the tournament," Rutland continued. "At their signal, the men will kill the guards and open the gates to let the rebels in."

"And kill the king?"

"They have many supporters," Rutland said defensively.

"I don't care. Help me up." His son supported his shoulders as York pushed himself out of the chair with his cane. Straightening, the duke pursed his lips. "Why did you wait so long?"

Rutland hesitated. "King Richard—"

"King Richard my ass. You don't give a fig for King Richard. You couldn't decide who to support. What? Did you conclude that this venture will fail?"

For once, Rutland was stung. "I'm trying to do the right thing."

"For a change. You have a lot of explaining to do. I see why you need my help. Come, we can't afford to tarry."

In the shortest time possible, York, Rutland, and a small escort were thundering to Windsor. They gained immediate entry to the king, who was privately dining with his four sons.

"What is this, uncle?" Henry said, lifting his hand in greeting. "I am always happy to see you, but I thought it would be tomorrow."

The duke knelt before the king, kissing his hand. "We bring grave news, sire."

"Get up, get up. What has happened?"

York gestured for his son to move forward. Rutland knelt beside him.

"This is most unusual," Henry said. "Get up, both of you."

Standing quickly, Rutland gave the deed to the king. Henry scanned it and looked up with a frown. "My Counter-Appellants? They seek to restore King Richard to the throne? How?"

"In all the confusion surrounding the tournament, they plan to kill your guards and yourself—your family."

Henry paled. "Then their accomplices could be in the castle already!"

"Yes. That's why I am here."

There was no time to think—or ask the same questions York did. Henry was a man of action; talk would come later. "Come. We must leave this place at once."

Mercedes Rochelle

Mercedes Rochelle is an ardent lover of medieval history, and has channeled this interest into fiction writing. She believes that good Historical Fiction, or Faction as it's coming to be known, is an excellent way to introduce the subject to curious readers.

Her first four books cover eleventh-century Britain and events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Her new project is called “The Plantagenet Legacy” taking us through the reigns of the last true Plantagenet King, Richard II and his successors, Henry IV, Henry V and Henry VI. She also writes a blog: HistoricalBritainBlog.com to explore the history behind the story. 

Born in St. Louis, MO, she received by BA in Literature at the University of Missouri St.Louis in 1979 then moved to New York in 1982 while in her mid-20s to "see the world". The search hasn't ended!

Today she lives in Sergeantsville, NJ with her husband in a log home they had built themselves.

Author Links:

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