A New Lease on Freedom

By Chris Oswald

1680s England is a disturbed place.

Thomas and Grace Davenport, brother and sister from a Dorset Presbyterian family, get sent home from their respective schools. They go in search of their missing friend, Lady Merriman.

The Duke of Monmouth, illegitimate son to the old King, Charles II, lands with a small force in Dorset, seeking to depose his uncle, James II.

“For liberty and religion!” is his cry.

Thomas and Grace both have some sympathy for rebellion but are more concerned with tracking down Lady Merriman. They meet the heir to the Earldom of Sherborne, who falls for Grace but a Catholic nobleman cannot marry a Puritan and it seems the match is doomed.

Monmouth is no leader; his following dissipates as he wanders around the West Country. He wanders in ever-decreasing circles as the forces of the establishment, including the young John Churchill, close in on him.

Thomas and Grace cannot escape the rebellion all around them. They are embroiled in war and all the evil that emanates from.

Through battle, captivity and deceit, they finally come home in the aftermath of failed rebellion and all that means for Dorset and the whole country. A must-read for those who love the history and drama of an emerging nation.”

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