A Sprig of Green

By Felicity Luckman

The religious rivalries that fractured families and communities alike during the English Civil War rear up again as the Duke of Monmouth’s rebellion of 1685 challenges the authority of King James II.

The Civil War is a distant memory. The Commonwealth experiment is dead. The monarchy has been restored. But James, Duke of Monmouth, the bastard son of Charles II and a Protestant, seeks to depose his tyrannical Catholic uncle.

Among those who land from The Netherlands with Monmouth at Lyme Regis is Cornish gentleman Nigel Tregellis. A close friend, Nigel had spent much time with the young Duke in roistering and wenching. Nigel was all for adventure and glory.

But Nigel has a wife, Elizabeth, the daughter of an earl, who has been left to languish on their sleepy St Austell estate. Elizabeth is bored and craves excitement. She is determined to find it – with or without her husband.

Nigel is charged with trying to whip Monmouth’s artisan army of farmers and laborers into shape as the rebellion gets underway. Time is against them and despite some initial success at Axminster, the upstarts are crushed by the King’s well-disciplined army at the Battle of Sedgemoor.

Can Nigel and his family escape the wrath of the King and his chief instrument of revenge, the infamously cruel Judge Jeffreys?

A Sprig of Green is a riveting tale of romance and religious rivalry set against the tempestuous politics of 17th century England. It is the sequel to her first novel, the historical romance, Sacred Music.

Felicity Luckman worked in various roles, including Morwellham Quay and for some years at the Tavistock Times, both as proofreader and typesetter. Though not born in Devon – she came there at the age of one – she has lived in the county for most of her life. She now lives in Tavistock with her husband.