The Story of Francis Cludde

A formal welcome goes badly for Francis Cludde when his impatience meets his uncle's temper on a rainy day in 1555. Sir Anthony has gathered his household to receive Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester and the Queen's Chancellor. Nineteen-year-old Francis resents the ceremony, joins in the fool's jokes and suffers a public humiliation. He tells the story himself, beginning beside the Ridgeway between Warwickshire and Worcestershire during Queen Mary's reign, with the old religion newly restored.

Later, Francis shares a dangerous passage through flooded country with the Duchess, Master Bertie and Mistress Anne. Tired horses, rising water and a broken road force the party to weigh the danger of advancing against the risk of meeting their pursuers. Francis recognises his own part in their predicament. Stanley John Weyman's historical romance places youthful pride alongside responsibility for other people. Its appeal lies in the link between the narrator's personal feelings and the urgent decisions demanded by authority, religious tensions and escape.