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Also by Bertrice Small:
The Kadin
Love Wild and Fair
Adora
Unconquered
Beloved
Enchantress Mine
Blaze Wyndham
The Spitfire
A Moment in Time
To Love Again
Love, Remember Me
The Love Slave
Hellion
Betrayed
Deceived
The Innocent
A Memory of Love
“The O’Malley Saga”
Skye O’Malley
All the Sweet Tomorrows
A Love for All Time
This Heart of Mine
Lost Love Found
Wild Jasmine
“Skye’s Legacy”
Darling Jasmine
Bedazzled
Beseiged
Intrigued
Anthologies
Captivated
Fascinated
JUST BEYOND TOMORROW
BERTRICE SMALL
KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
Table of Contents
Also by Bertrice Small: Title Page Dedication Prologue - GREAT BRITAIN, 1642–1650 Part One - The Heiress of Brae
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5
Part Two - The Do-Naught Duchess
Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10
Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16
Epilogue - Queen’s Malvern, Late Summer 1663 Copyright Page
For Ethan Ellenberg, my agent, and Walter Zacharius, my publisher, and for Steven Zacharius, who could probably charm a duck into a roasting pan. Thank you, gentlemen.
Prologue
GREAT BRITAIN, 1642–1650
In the summer of 1642 the king and the parliament began preparing for war, each raising an army of its own. The crisis had been coming for some time now. The parliament wanted Charles Stuart to consult with them in his choice of government ministers and other official appointments. They wanted complete control of the army put into their hands. They wanted to reform the English church, abolish all bishops, and allow the final authority in church affairs to rest with them. They wanted a say in the raising of the king’s children. They quoted from the Bible extensively in order to justify their demands, but like most politicians they forgot one of Christ’s strongest directives to “render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s; and unto God that which is God’s.” A very clear warning to the human race to keep church and state separate, but parliament, believing they alone spoke for God, wasn’t listening.
The king, however, firmly believed that his authority came directly from the celestial actuary. He held fast to the Divine Right of his Stuart and Tudor ancestors. Unfortunately the parliament also believed God was on their side. But, had the king given in to parliament’s wishes, they would have become the sole governing power of England. With all civil, military, and religious authority firmly in their hands, and backed by the landed wealth of certain of the nobility in the House of Lords, they sought to rule England. Had Charles Stuart yielded to the parliament, he would have found himself rendered little more than a figurehead. It was an intolerable position for the king to accept, but neither side was willing to compromise.
The first English civil war was fought. When it was over in 1647, the queen and her children had fled England for France. The king found himself a prisoner, first of parliament, and then of the Roundheads of Oliver Cromwell. He managed to escape, fleeing to the Isle of Wight, where he attempted to bargain with the parliament and, at the same time, with his possible allies in Scotland. The king, who loved intrigue, also loved to barter. From the relative security of Carisbrooke Castle, he sat like
