A New Lease on Freedom

1680s England is a disturbed place.

Thomas and Grace Davenport, from a Dorset Presbyterian family, seek 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 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.

Thomas and Grace cannot escape the rebellion around them. They are embroiled in war.

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