Three Families Paperback
Three Families Paperback
The Merchant of London
Book 1
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SYNOPSIS
SYNOPSIS
Three families of shared lineage.
A city on the verge of war.
Can the bonds that have held them together for a hundred years stay strong when threatened by the ultimate fight between King Charles I and Parliament?
London, 1641: Mass protests are gaining traction across the City of London. Undeterred, King Charles insists on pushing forward with the Church reforms initiated by his recently imprisoned Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud.
Thomas Juxon, a Merchant Taylor and member of a well-respected City family, is as angry as the next man about the addition of Papist ornaments to the churches. But when he becomes involved in one of the protests, it doesn’t go unnoticed. Not least by his uncle, the Bishop of London.
Seeking to calm tensions, Dame Esther Price, the family matriarch, invites members from all branches of the family to an afternoon junket. They need reminding that standards are to be maintained … and that the king needs their support.
Although many of the guests agree, there are others who side with Parliament, and Thomas, for one, refuses to be swayed.
Thomas’s sister, Mistress Sarah Wagstaffe, is also at the junket. More interested in studying the decor of Dame Esther’s mansion than she is in politics, she finds herself sitting with Mistress Helen Juxon, the young wife of her uncle. As they talk, she learns that Helen’s relationship with Dame Esther is not all it seems.
When Thomas finds out, he becomes intrigued. Who is this woman? And how did she end up marrying into the family?
With a sense of curiosity, he starts asking questions, but as details are revealed, he realises that Mistress Helen’s past is more complicated than any of them realise.
As tensions in the City continue to build, Thomas seeks to unravel the threads of deception that brought Helen to London. Can he uncover the truth? And if he does, what does he do with it?
Three Families is the first book in The Merchants of London series. The storyline continues into book 2 and beyond…
Chapter One Look Inside
Chapter One Look Inside
Chapter 1
Altar Rails
June 1641
Thomas Juxon stepped out onto the colonnade of the Royal Exchange and cracked his knuckles as he ran his eyes over the mass of men on the street before him. Men and boys, masters and apprentices. He nodded his approval. The pamphleteering had clearly done its job. He glanced across at his companion, George Radcliffe, but there was no need for words. It was time for action. Time to have their say on the treachery being imposed on the City.
The evening was bright as they stepped into the street to join the protesters heading west along Cornhill, towards the Stocks Market. Trade had finished for the day, and the streets had been cleared of the usual animal waste. It was as well they had. There was little room to move as men joined the steady stream of those chanting against the Church reforms imposed on them by King Charles and his Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud. Spurred on by the sound of a drumbeat coming from somewhere ahead, Thomas pushed his way forward but momentarily stumbled when someone crashed into him, causing a surge in the crowd. George Radcliffe caught hold of his arm.
“Steady.”
“I’m fine. You couldn’t fall amongst this lot if you tried.”
He regained his composure and brought himself up to his full
five feet eight inches, feeling the rage of the crowd as he
chanted with them, “Altar Rails Out! Altar Rails Out!”
St Stephen’s Church, Walbrook, appeared on his left-hand side, but he gave it no more than a passing glance. It wasn’t the target of their anger. Not tonight.
The streets narrowed as they turned off Candlewick Street,
forcing the men ever closer together and amplifying the noise as the buildings closed in around them. Thomas tried to raise a clenched fist in solidarity with those nearby, but even that was a struggle amongst such a tightly packed mob. Never had the City of London felt so united in its view that the Papist ornaments Archbishop Laud had imposed inside its churches had to go.
The pace quickened, and Thomas stuck out his elbows to jostle for position amongst the apprentices. The beat of the drum pounded in his chest, but suddenly there was quiet. They were close to their target. The crowd continued to press forward until they reached a junction where the road widened. Thomas looked up as they rounded the last corner to see the large stone building of St Thomas the Apostle Church towering above them.
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