A Cord of Three Strands

by S.J. Haxton

From the author of EXPOSED TO ALL VILLAINIES; the second in the 'Pendennis' trilogy, A CORD OF THREE STRANDS. Three a Cornish fortress forged their friendship; a Cornish rebellion will test it. The novel takes the reader to Cornwall, August 1646: in the aftermath of Civil War, three women, who have been brought together by Fate at a beleaguered Royalist stronghold on the Cornish coast now must confront new challenges in a world turned upside down. Yet men will dictate the terms upon which the women’s lives depend. A wife, Mary Tremayne, will face a choice between her husband and her home. A widow, Hester Mattock, pins her hopes on the home that her husband left to her in his will. Her husband hoped Grace Fenwick was dead; can she change her name in order to change her fortunes? When the Parliamentarian victory brings only an uneasy peace to a war-weary nation, the spirit of rebellion and the Royalist cause stir in the depths of Cornwall. These three women will face circumstances which will test to the limit their spirit, their resourcefulness and their courage. The future is unknown; the present is uncertain, but their past forged bonds that are bound to endure, for as it is written in the Scriptures, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Reviews for EXPOSED TO ALL “Steph Haxton draws the stories of her three spirited souls together with such skill one can all but hear the beat of the drums that rattled orders within the granite walls of Pendennis Castle.” WESTERN MORNING NEWS “Highly entertaining, highly plausible, a remarkable narrative.” JOHN MORE, HISTORIAN EXPOSED TO ALL VILLAINIES was a shortlisted nomination for the Cornish Gorsedh Holyer an Gof Award for Literature 2015,

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 7, 2016

About the author

I am an historian turned author - gamekeeper turned poacher! I am primarily a specialist in the Tudor and Stuart era, with a particular interest in the
Civil War in Cornwall.
With a background in historical re-enactment, you could say that I have 'lived' the history as well as researched it and that gives a unique perspective.
Commissioned to write a play to commemorate the anniversary of the granting of Falmouth’s Town Charter, 'Remember' premiered in October 2011 but there was more of that story to tell. The result was my first novel, 'Exposed to All Villainies' (2014), which was was nominated for the prestigious 2015 Cornish Gorsedh Holyer an Gof Award for Literature and a long-listed title for the Winston Graham Prize 2016.
The narrative is driven by historical events during the Civil War in the West Country and tells the story of three women destined to meet at Pendennis Castle in 1646.
The sequel, 'A Cord of Three Strands' (2016) is the second book in the planned 'Pendennis' trilogy which should be complete in spring 2017.