A Column of Fire

Ned Willard has just returned to Kingsbridge after being away for a year.  He is saddened to discover that the girl he loves is engaged to marry another.  Can Ned still win Margery Fitzgerald?

At a feast, William Cecil, counsellor to Princess Elizabeth, meets with the Mayor of Kingsbridge, the family of Ned’s beloved and Ned to put forth Princess Elizabeth as the rightful heir to an ailing Queen Mary.  Cecil hints at a possible job working for him.

Ned and Margery are both heartbroken when she is forced to marry a man she doesn’t want to.  At the same time, the English lose Calais to the French.  As a result, Ned’s mother’s business is affected.  And due to a twist in the law, she loses that business to the Fitzgerald clan.  Ned is devastated.  The Fitzgeralds also had revenge on the Protestant family, which had put them in a bad situation.

Ned decides that he must now work for Cecil.  Employed by Cecil, it doesn’t take Ned long to make enemies, but yet at the same time win the trust of the princess.  When Queen Mary died, it didn’t take long for Elizabeth to be proclaimed Queen.  Another death, this time in France, makes Mary Queen of Scots also Queen of France, and an enemy of Elizabeth.

Cecil sends Ned as part of a delegation to ensure that Mary stays in France rather than returning to Scotland.  Unfortunately the delegates are unable to convince Mary to stay in France.  She would marry Lord Darnley in Scotland and have a son, but would end up being imprisoned on an island in Loch Leven.  Her one year old son, James, was proclaimed King of Scotland.  Mary’s attempt at getting the Scottish throne back fails, so she flees to England hoping that Elizabeth will help or that she can wrest the throne from her.  Elizabeth does the only thing she can; Mary is imprisoned.

Ned is once again sent to France; this time with Walshingham, Elizabeth’s spymaster.  There he meets a brave Huguenot woman by the name of Sylvie.  She is able to provide him with information about the de Guise family who are staunch Catholics and hoping to take control of the French throne. Then the St. Bartholomew Day Massacre occurred.  Fortunately Ned was able to save Sylvie, but not her mother.

Back in England, Ned now had to deal with conspiracies that would see Mary placed on the throne of England, and Elizabeth executed.  Once Mary had been dealt with, England faced the prospect of a Spanish invasion.

The future would bring relative peace to England and Ned would be part of the change; from a queen to a new king.

Once again author Ken Follett has written an epic historical novel full of intrigue, live and treachery.  For fans of historical novels this is one that you won’t want to miss.