Measham Hall

The first in a page-turning historical series about survival, love, and family loyalty. England, 1665. It is five years since King Charles II returned from exile, the scars of the Civil Wars are yet to heal and now the Great Plague engulfs the land. Alethea Hawthorne is safe inside the walls of the Calverton household as a lady's companion waiting in anticipation of the day she can return to her ancestral home of Measham Hall. But when Alethea suddenly finds herself cast out on the plague-ridden streets of London, a long road to Derbyshire lies ahead. Militias have closed their boroughs off to outsiders for fear of contamination. Fortune smiles on her when Jack appears, an unlikely travelling companion who helps this determined girl to navigate a perilous new world of religious dissenters, charlatans and a pestilence that afflicts peasants and lords alike… 'It's rare for a historical novel to feel so timely.' - JO BAKER, Sunday Times bestselling author of Longbourn 'Impeccably researched and wonderfully atmospheric, with a heroine you can't help rooting for.' - FRANCES QUINN, author of The Smallest Man 'Exciting and immersive. It took me straight into the heart of Restoration England in all its rich and vivid detail. I was gripped!' - NICOLA CORNICK, international bestselling author of House of Shadows

Return to mysterious Measham Hall in this page-turning tale of espionage and intrigue in the years leading up to the Glorious Revolution of 1688. For Nicholas Hawthorne, the Catholic heir to Measham Hall in Derbyshire, subterfuge is part of everyday life. But there are deeper and darker secrets even than his family's outlawed religion: why is his father, Sir William, so reclusive? What became of his mother, and his aunt Alethea? And who fatally betrayed his cousin Matthew? Nicholas is determined to find out, but as England slides towards invasion by the Protestant forces of Prince William of Orange, he becomes entangled in conspiracies within King James's court – and soon learns that both truth and love come at a high price… 'It's rare for a historical novel to feel so timely.' - JO BAKER, Sunday Times bestselling author of Longbourn 'Impeccably researched and wonderfully atmospheric, with a heroine you can't help rooting for.' - FRANCES QUINN, author of The Smallest Man 'Exciting and immersive. It took me straight into the heart of Restoration England in all its rich and vivid detail. I was gripped!' - NICOLA CORNICK, international bestselling author of House of Shadows

1690. England is in crisis – the new protestant King William III has embarked on wars in France and Ireland, inflation is rampant and the price of corn is causing riots. At Measham Hall, Sir William Hawthorne faces a predicament of his own: his loyal steward has died, and he must find another. His problems appear to have been solved when the charming Mr Goodwyn arrives with a mysterious letter of recommendation and takes up the post. But soon, to the rest of the household's dismay, Goodwyn appears to have both Sir William and the estate dancing to his tune. Meanwhile, Sir William's heir, Nicholas, is in Ireland fighting against the Williamite troops. But Nicholas is playing a dangerous game as double agent, risking both his love and his life. When one battle is over, he must return to Measham Hall to fight another and defeat an old foe in a new guise or lose Measham Hall forever...