Follow Jack Greenaway, lawyer's apprentice and poacher, from Lincoln to Waterloo and beyond, as he experiences the life and loves of a soldier in Wellington's army, in war and in peace. He battles with Napoleon's troops abroad and Luddites at home, finds his true love (twice!) and eventually faces his nemesis on the duelling ground. All references to snuff in this novel apply to the tobacco product, and should not be confused with 21st Century usage. / (Reviews)
This book follows on from Duel and Duality, and how Jack survived the duel is revealed. His life then becomes a series of surprising encounters and episodes. He meets some old friends and makes new ones, including females. He rubs shoulders with writers and meets a military genius. He revisits Waterloo, learns of the aphrodisiacal properties of cheese, and ploughs furrows- and madges. He avoids being fatally seduced, kills several more men, goes on a voyage, and he falls in love, again.
Jack Greenaway's pathway to happiness is strewn with obstacles: a plagiarized novel and his sister's infatuation with a Romantic poet; an old, 15th century, law; a white lady in Brussels and a Black Guard at Chateau Blanchard; attendance at weddings - and funerals; going undercover in Manchester, and helping to foil an assassination plot. He overcomes these difficulties and his future looks assured until a blast from his past causes catastrophe.
Vengeance, like duty, is a hard taskmaster, and Jack Greenaway's humanity, and mental robustness,is tested to the full in the search for the killers of his family. Rewarded for his past services to the Crown Jack is then given other tasks, one that will eventually take him away from England, but not before he learns some peculiar facts about cider making. A gas lit meeting leads to partnerships, corporative and corporeal, which restores his faith in himself, but not in God.
It is said that travel broadens the mind, and Jack Greenaway enjoys a plethora of new experiences during his visit to Europe, ranging from the sublime to the terrifying. However, three factors drive Jack's peregrination through the continent. One is his quest for his disappeared sister. Another is investigating the whereabouts of Eloise de la Zouche, the woman responsible for the deaths of Jack's wife and children. The third, and most exacting, is the machinations of the British government.
United with his lover Jack embarks on a life of domestic bliss. However, the past intrudes, and measures are taken to combat any repeat of the Hungerford Hall disaster. Visiting London he has an encounter that propels him into the top echelon of British society. Canal travel is not the smooth ride he imagines. On a journey through England he meets aggrieved artisans, doughty dragoons, a handsome hussar, and political petitioners. Heights are scaled, and a hero is rewarded. Cliff hanger end? No.
The Royal Progress is curtailed, but the threat to Jack's family remains. A series of domestic and family arrangements takes place in Grantham, and closer links are forged with Kensington Palace. To maintain the domestic bliss he now enjoys Jack knows eventually he will have to locate and kill Eloise de La Zouche. A trip to Paris uncovers a hidden talent in Mimi, and a summons to the Foreign Office places Jack in charge of an academic endeavour. More travelling ensues.
Once on site in Egypt excavating keeps the expedition busy, although the devil can always find work for idle hands and active glands. Jack renews his friendship with Sayeed bin Ghouad and increases his dislike of Valentine Crudwright. He learns much of ancient Egyptian and Roman engineering, and unearths some surprising discoveries, not all concerning archeology. Eloise de La Zouche continues to be elusive, although not supine. Finally another journey beckons - but not by camel
An unanticipated stay in Aden is enlivened by Rollo Guest's story. Another voyage takes Mimi and Jack to Madras, a different continent and many surprising discoveries, not all unpleasant. A murderous religious sect and a reincarnation of a goddess ensures their stay in the country is memorable, as are the characters they meet, including a couple of old friends. Jack plumbs the depths of despair before the conclusion of his quest. An ending contains the embryo of new beginnings.
