1648 and the forces loyal to King Charles 1 are defeated; the English Civil War is over, but some would not have it so…….

Leading a resurgent Royalist army, Sir Charles Lucas enters the Parliamentarian town of Colchester in Essex. But the enemy, Sir Thomas Fairfax’s undefeated New Model Army, encircles the town.

In the pitiless siege that follows, Katherine Wade, bound to a husband she loathes, discovers a perilous form of liberation. Beth Sayer, an impoverished weaver’s daughter, fights for the survival of her family and Tobias, a wounded soldier, must choose between duty and love.

Based on one of the most harrowing episodes in the history of Colchester and the English Civil Wars, this is a story of human endurance and the cruel consequences of conflict, for victor and vanquished alike.

This well-researched novel vividly brings to life the terrible realities of a dramatic and devastating summer in Colchester in 1648. Andrew Phillips, Centre for Local & Regional History, University of Essex, author of Colchester: A History