Aberrant Robber

James Gervois

Description

Travel in 1680’s England was fraught with peril and to hear the words ‘stand and deliver’ would petrify you, knowing you were about to be robbed by a highwayman or Tamar Ellerby, the twenty-one year old daughter of a vicar, who took up her pistols and became the ‘Aberrant Robber’. Mixing with the landed gentry, Tamar falls in love with a Lord’s son but almost dies having an abortion after her lover proves unfaithful.

Gambling is ruining Cornelius Clarkson, the son of a Yorkshire squire and the able lieutenant of John Bannister, the main handler of stolen goods in the North of England. Clarkson becomes greedier and starts to keep stolen goods for himself with the result that Bannister arranges for his arrest and subsequent hanging. Clarkson manages to escape, meeting Tamar during a robbery, deciding he can use her to ruin Bannister. Tamar never trusts Clarkson and discovering Bannister’s hidden stash, finds herself the ‘heiress’ of the men’s wealth in a sudden twist of fate, outwitting the authorities in the process.

‘Aberrant Robber’ portrays the lives of people in 1680’s England where life was cheap, poverty was widespread and a life of crime appealed to many. ‘Aberrant Robber’ depicts the real villainy, the real harshness and the real corruption of the times.

Informations

• Publié par: Anthem Press
• Date de parution: 01 février 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781783086528
• Langue: English

Extrait

UNION BRIDGE BOOKS
An imprint of Wimbledon Publishing Company Limited (WPC)
First published in the United Kingdom in 2016 by
This edition first published in UK and USA 2017
UNION BRIDGE BOOKS
75–76 Blackfriars Road
London SE1 8HA
www.unionbridgebooks.com
Copyright © James Gervois 2017
[The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.]
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission of the publisher.
The moral rights of the author have been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All the characters and events described in this novel are imaginary and any similarity with real people or events is purely coincidental.
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN-13: 978 1 78308 652 8 (Epub)
ISBN-10: 1 78308 652 1 (Epub)
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[Distribution information to be inserted here, as necessary]
Aberrant Robber
by
James Gervois
Hobbling his horse, Will flicked a glance at the copse before looking across the meadow, sure that the men working there had not noticed him. He walked slowly, feeling the warmth of the sun on his back, the prickle of sweat on his brow. Passing the first trees, Will carefully stepped through the brambles and ferns, making little or no sound. He soon reached the glade, seeing the carpet of bluebells and the trunks of the silver birch glistening in the sunlight. Then he saw her, sitting on her cape, propped against one of the trees. Will crouched down and watched, feeling his heart beat faster.
He had known Sophia for the past nine years, played with her when they were children and now, he knew he was totally in love with her. Even though she was only sixteen, her body had blossomed into womanhood and, in Will’s opinion, she was the most beautiful of Sir Thomas Osborne’s five daughters. Will was transfixed, seeing Sophia’s eyes closed, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth, enjoying the warmth. He saw her untie her kerchief and pull it from around her neck, exposing her cleavage, rolling it up and placing it behind her head. She then hoisted her petticoats, exposing her legs. Will unbuckled his sword belt and placed it on the ground and then he moved silently forward, stopping a few feet from Sophia, blocking out the sunlight. Sophia opened her eyes.
‘Will!’ She looked up at him, a smile spreading across her face. ‘What are you doing here?’
Will smiled back. ‘Spying on you. Looking at your magnificent body.’
Sophia pushed her petticoats down. ‘You are impertinent, Will Hugill, disturbing a lady taking an afternoon nap. However, sit beside me.’ Sophia patted the ground next to her.
Will needed no second invitation, quickly sitting beside her. ‘What a lovely day and…and finding you here, well, it’s even better.’
‘As if you didn’t know where to find me,’ Sophia joked. ‘This has been our spot for years. Anyway, aren’t you supposed to be working?’
Will leant back against the tree, resting his head against the trunk. ‘The estate manager has gone to the market and as I have finished all the tasks he set…well, I have time on my hands.’ He flinched slightly, feeling Sophia push herself against him, her arm moving across his chest. She lay her head on his shoulder and Will could smell her perfume. He closed his eyes, enjoying the moment, the warmth of her body next to his.
‘You’re the most beautiful woman I know,’ Will mumbled, ‘and I know I am in love with you.’
Sophia giggled. ‘I’m sure my sisters would disagree with you.’
‘Your sisters! They’re arrogant and dismissive and none of them have your beauty. Also, they aren’t as clever as you.’
Sophia giggled again. ‘My, my…you certainly know how to charm a lady.’
‘I’m only telling the truth.’ Will smiled, pushing his arm behind Sophia’s back, feeling her move closer to him.
‘Tell me about your father.’
Will sighed. ‘You know what happened. He fought in Prince Rupert’s cavalry at Naseby when he was only sixteen and rode with the defeated King back to Hereford. He then…’
‘Two years younger than you are now,’ interrupted Sophia. ‘He must have been very brave.’
Will nodded. ‘He certainly was. Anyway, he realised that the King was defeated and made his way to France, eventually joining up with the King’s son, Charles, becoming one of his trusted bodyguards and going to the Channel Islands, Holland and eventually Scotland. He rode with Prince Charles to Worcester where they met Cromwell and following a bloody battle, he helped Charles to escape. In return, Charles knighted him but, when Cromwell found out, he sequestrated his estate.’
‘It must have been awful for him…and your mother,’ Sophia said, her hand untying his shirt and gently stroking the hairs on Will’s chest.
‘Well, he spent most of his time in France and met my mother two years before Charles became King Charles II. He was due to get his estate back, thanks to your father’s support, when he was set upon late one night by a gang of Catholics and killed. I was about eight at the time.’
‘And Papa appointed your mother as our governess.’ Sophia giggled, moving her hand down to stroke Will’s belly. ‘I suppose he thought, as she was French, she would bring a different discipline with her.’
Will smiled, looking down at the top of Sophia’s head, seeing the thick, blonde hair, pulled severely back and tied with ribbon. ‘Well…my Mother can’t have been too much of an ogre. You all still speak to her.’
Sophia leaned across and kissed Will’s chest, her hand nudging at his waistband. ‘Your Mother is a very nice lady. If only Papa was at home, everything would be perfect.’
‘That is unfortunate to say the very least.’ Will sighed. ‘I’ve been told that your father created far too many political enemies, envious of his elevation under King Charles II’s patronage. They ignored how successful he was as Lord Treasurer.’
‘But he will be all right…won’t he?’ Sophia asked, her hand loosening Will’s waistband.
‘I’m sure he will be released from the Tower soon,’ Will replied reassuringly, ‘and those who accused him of being a papist sympathiser know full well he was only acting in accordance with the King’s instructions.’
‘What are you doing?’ Will asked, feeling Sophia’s hand inside his breeches.
Sophia did not respond, taking Will’s hand and placing it on her breast.
Will could feel himself becoming aroused, encouraged by Sophia. He pulled her hand out of his breeches. ‘You must stop Sophia. We can’t do this.’
Sophia glanced up at him, her lips moist, her eyes wide. ‘Why not? It’s only natural.’
‘You know why not. You are the daughter of an Earl. I’m the son of a servant.’
Sophia laughed. She moved and straddled Will’s body, her thighs clamping to his sides and then she started to move her pelvis against his. ‘I know you are ready…that you want to enter me. Take me Will…I am yours…I want you.’
Will bucked so hard, Sophia lost her balance and fell to the side. He rolled on top of her, gripping her arms above her head and looked down at her, breathing heavily. ‘Of course I want you but you’re not mine to have. That would be madness!’
Puckering her lips, Sophia pushed up against him, Will moving forward, his lips meeting hers. He could feel the warmth of her breath, sense her desire for him.
Suddenly, Sophia was screaming. Will sat up, momentarily taken aback, his mind slowly registering the words – rape, rape. Rough hands grabbed his arms, lifting him off Sophia and he was flung to the ground. A boot kicked him hard in his stomach, forcing him to double up, trying to catch his breath. A fist smashed into the side of his face, splitting his skin.
‘You don’t understand…stop!’ Will shouted out. He could see Sophia being helped up, see her pulling her skirts down and tying the kerchief around her neck, covering herself. She started to cry, pointing at him.
‘He…he…forced me. He tried to…’ She sobbed, collapsing into the arms of the estate manager.
Someone kicked Will in the back, causing him to gasp. ‘Please, you don’t understand. You are…’
The crack of the cudgel against Will’s head silenced him.
Sitting in the darkened corner of the large, ornate room, Cornelius Clarkson could smell the fear of the man standing in front of John Bannister’s magnificent, mahogany desk. The man wiped his sleeve across his brow, rocking back and forth, his hands gripping the edge of his hat. The man never took his eyes of Bannister. Clarkson grinned, enjoying the moment, appreciating the power Bannister had over others.
He had met Bannister more than ten years ago when he was in his late teens, bored with his life on the estate and anxious to find adventure. He had quickly realised that Bannister had the capability to provide him with the excitement he craved. Bannister had been visiting his uncle, S