The wanton troopers riding by
Have shot my faun, and it will die
Wanton Troopers is a historical romance set in the tumultuous aftermath of the English Civil War. The action unfolds in the cloud-wracked autumn of 1645 as the defeated Royalist Hugh Malahide returns to his Uncle’s impoverished estate in need of sanctuary; “He had half expected warmth at last and blessings, had them stored up as miser’s gain. But he had already been upstaged. The tableau that greeted him was not of upflung arms and welcome, but of a medical emergency in front of him, centred on a writhing, groaning heap of bloodied old clothes there on the floor of his uncle’s hallway.”
The ‘groaning heap’ is Tom Fentiman, a figure who will drag the hero, Hugh, into a whirlwind adventure of danger and betrayal, and into the path of the beautiful Isabella, daughter of his Parliamentarian rival, with whom romance and a happy life seems an impossibility, but one he does not resist.
Can this defeated Royalist reject the siren song of King Charles’s lost cause, and survive? Only armed by force of character and a charm-the-birds smile, Hugh sets about seduction, burglary and defying Fate.
Author Lindsey Erith’s background as a portrait artist provides the canvas on which her characters are displayed. Her keen interest in human nature creates protagonists and antagonists who live with her readers. The puritanical Fentiman comes to life on the page; “His nose was high, his visage hewn from good quality rock. A swag of jowls had started to sag off the square jaw onto blindingly white neck linen.”
Action and suspense whip the story along at a galloping pace. There is shocking betrayal, theft, kidnapping and rebellion; “Isabella saw human gargoyles up on the tower: mutineers with matchlocks, pointing long barrels. Their intentions were not innocent. Below in the square a prone figure lay in a spreading pool
of blood.”
The romance is equally exhilarating as Hugh and Isabella attempt to resist their forbidden attraction; “Every hair on the back of Isabella’s neck curled, she held his hand against her face. The barrier was gone, he breathed and gathered her against him, she sighed and raised her mouth, giving, so the little room they were in hummed about him…”
A happy vein of humour also runs through the pages. The angry Fentiman’s whisper gains, “a head of steam like a kettle and rising in pitch.” And the disappointed Hugh, “felt like a tomcat whose fur has been rubbed the wrong way…”
Wanton Troopers takes us to a bygone era full of daring, greed, ambition and danger. Her characters aren’t cardboard cutouts. Each personality and their inner motives are delivered with the care and enjoyment of a masterful portrait. These heroes aren’t perfect, they are all too human, which makes them irresistible. The central character exudes determination, honour and fairness. Readers will cheer for him and fear for him until the very end.
Lindsey Erith was born in Reigate, the daughter of the photographer John Erith. She survived a girls’ public school and coming to terms with severe health problems before achieving a graphics Diploma. This gave her an entry to portraiture and strengthened her keen interest in character and likeness. Woven throughout her life has been an abiding passion for music, reflected in the poetic rhythm of her original writing style.
Her love of music led to the love of her life and a Valentine’s Day happy marriage to the distinguished classical music producer John Boyden, whose unwavering belief in her encouraged her to submit her first book for publication. Wanton Troopers, her new book, is written in the same style and period as Mary Florida. Each ‘Royalist Romance’ explores the heights of love and longing in the tumultuous aftermath of the English Civil War.
My thoughts: Hugh Malahide returns to his uncle’s house after the crushing defeat of the Royalists at Naseby, during the English Civil War, when it becomes clear that Scottish reinforcements are not coming. He’s lucky to get away, luckier than Tom Fentiman, son of his uncle’s neighbour, who has been shot.
Riding to his father’s house to warn them that Tom might die, he meets Isabella, Tom’s sister, who hurries to her brother, and their ghastly, greedy father, who has told people that Tom was dead. He’s a real charmer, intent on selling Isabella into marriage in exchange for land and money. With Hugh and Tom’s help she escapes one such entanglement and she and Hugh fall for one another – unfortunately he’s already married, although estranged from his wife, and so must fight the attraction.
He also needs to help his beloved uncle who is about to lose everything as a poor harvest and heavy taxes (to pay for the war) have left his tenants unable to pay their rents. But Hugh is clever and capable, getting into all sorts of scrapes and adventures as he waits to see whether the tide will turn for Charles I and restore the throne or not.
There’s lots of clever little historical references which set the time and place perfectly, like the many nicknames Royalists had for Oliver Cromwell, the burning of Basing House, the last Royalist stronghold, and the way that Parliamentarians and Royalists viewed each other, easy to identify from their very different clothing.
This was a really enjoyable book, if I’m honest I don’t read many books set during the Civil War (although Children of the New Forest was a favourite growing up) and usually prefer non-fiction (The Siege of Loyalty House about Basing House was very good) but I really liked this, I thought Hugh and Isabella were great characters and Hugh’s various adventures in pursuit of saving his uncle’s home and protecting Isabella, were really interesting and entertaining. Uncle Josiah and the housekeeper Luisa were very sweet together and the ending was bittersweet, coming as it did with two deaths, one that set Hugh free, and one that broke his heart.
Highly recommend this to both historical fiction and romance fans.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for a review, but all opinions remain my own.
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