Discover More About The Broken Vow by Luisa A. Jones
This week I’m pleased to welcome Luisa A. Jones back to my blog. Her new novel for Storm Publishing The Broken Vow came out on 22 January 2024, the day before my own new release A New Arrival in Borteen Bay. Luisa is going to tell us more about the book and share an excerpt of The Broken Vow…
Hi Morton, and thank you very much for inviting me to contribute to your blog this week. Congratulations for the launch of your own novel A New Arrival in Borteen Bay last week. Having enjoyed other books set in Borteen Bay I’ve preordered it and I’m looking forward to reading it. (Ooo thank you – I do hope that you enjoy it Mx)
My latest historical novel, The Broken Vow, was published on 22nd January. It’s a sequel to The Gilded Cage, but its focus is very different and it can be read as a standalone story. The Gilded Cage is about Lady Rosamund Fitznorton, a woman seeking an escape from an abusive marriage. Set a few months later, after the outbreak of the First World War, The Broken Vow follows Rosamund’s stepdaughter Charlotte, who is desperate to marry in order to fulfil her late father’s dynastic ambitions. Marriage to a viscount’s son, Eustace Chadwycke, will bring the spoiled and self-centred young Charlotte into a higher social circle – but when she learns that Eustace is being sent home from the Western Front a broken man, it threatens all their plans.
In a society that values strength and sees distress in soldiers as cowardice, shell-shocked Eustace needs a safe place to recover from the traumas he has experienced in the trenches. If Charlotte can turn her childhood home into a hospital, she may be able to provide the sanctuary he needs. But the house has been shut up for several months. She’ll need to grow up fast by working hard for the first time in her life, and develop a more caring, selfless side to her nature. She’ll also have to learn how to master her short temper, and how to persuade others to help her when many around her believe women should leave decision-making to men.
In this passage, Charlotte is awaiting the arrival of Eustace and a small group of other shell-shocked officers from the front. At this time, “shell-shock” was a new term being used in the press to explain a sudden epidemic of symptoms being experienced by fighting men. The medical condition we would call PTSD today was not yet understood, and the gently-raised Charlotte has no idea what to expect.
“A distant rumble made her rush to the window, peering into the darkness. Yes, there it was – the unmistakable growl of the Wolseley, and a lighter, clattering noise that must be Doctor Sheridan’s car following behind. The crunch of wheels on gravel, like the sound of the sea on pebbles, told her they had arrived. Which car would Eustace be in? Would he be exhausted after his long, slow journey from France? She ran to the doorway, then paused and dashed to the mirror. Her face glowed with excitement, despite the tired smudges under her eyes after the strain of the past few days. She patted her hair, tucking some stray strands behind her ears, and took some deep, steadying breaths.
By the time she returned to the hall, the other staff and volunteers were assembling to greet their patients. All were wide-eyed and expectant, despite their fatigue. Catching Charlotte’s eye, Venetia nodded and gestured towards the front door.
“It’s only right that you should be the first to greet them, Charlotte. None of us would be here if not for you.” Pulling the heavy oak door open, she stood aside and with a grateful smile Charlotte moved past her into the covered stone porch.
The doctor’s car had drawn up behind the Wolseley, illuminating it in a glare of headlights that made Nurse Boyle shade her eyes with her hand. Its rear doors were already open, and Charlotte’s breath caught in her throat as she moved closer, unable to see past Cadwalader’s broad back as he waited to assist his passengers. Which car had Eustace travelled in? Did he even know yet that Plas Norton was his destination, or that his fiancée was there waiting for him?
The sight of the first patient emerging from the Wolseley made her blood run cold. He was dressed in a stained, crumpled uniform, and one arm was in a sling. But it wasn’t his dishevelled state that startled her. It was the way he walked – if the strange, jerking, shambling movements of his limbs could even be described as walking. With every shuffling step, his uninjured arm flung out, and his head twitched as if he had no control over it. It wasn’t Eustace, thank God. Surely Eustace wouldn’t look like that?
Nurse Boyle had taken hold of his good arm and was steering him towards the door, making slow progress given the almost drunken way he lurched along. Fleetingly, her gaze met Charlotte’s, burning into her as if to say: This is shell-shock. This is what you get when you bring them to your home.”
I hope this snippet has whetted your appetite to read about Charlotte’s journey of personal growth and resilience. I loved exploring her story and researching this turbulent era, when the impact of trauma was little understood, and women on the home front made an invaluable but often unacknowledged contribution to the war effort.
About The Broken Vow published on 22 January 2024:
Marriage was what Charlotte had been brought up to. After all, it provided a happy ending for all the heroines in the novels she sometimes read. So it would be for her… right?
Born into luxury, Charlotte Fitznorton has always known a life filled with lavish parties and a line of suitors, all part of a future neatly laid out for her by her father, Sir Lucien. She is to marry well and continue the line at Plas Norton, the family seat. When Eustace Chadwycke – son of a viscount – proposes just before leaving to fight in France, it seems Charlotte’s destiny is perfectly falling into place.
Then, tragedy strikes. Her father dies unexpectedly, and her future hangs in the balance – threatened by her hated stepmother Rosamund’s surprise pregnancy. News of Eustace, returning from the war broken by its horrors, leaves Charlotte fearing her engagement may be as fragile as her inheritance.
Determined to at least save her impending marriage, Charlotte pours her energy into turning Plas Norton into a healing place for Eustace and other war-weary soldiers. But small-minded townspeople, a bossy head nurse, and her newborn baby sister’s arrival push Charlotte to her limits.
Just as hope is slipping through her fingers, a mysterious stranger arrives at Plas Norton. This newcomer holds the power to upend everything Charlotte has fought to preserve. Will she have the strength to protect her legacy, or could this unexpected visitor awaken a desire in Charlotte for a different life altogether?
A beautiful and heartbreaking historical novel, if you loved anything by Fiona Valpy or Lucinda Riley, this book is for you.
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About Luisa A. Jones
Luisa A Jones lives in South Wales, and takes inspiration from the Welsh countryside, towns, history, and of course its people. Her writing explores the dynamics within relationships, the pressures that mental health issues can exert on people, and how these can be overcome.
Luisa studied Classical Studies at Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, University of London. Her previous jobs have included tour guide in an historic house; teacher in both primary and secondary schools; careers adviser; and corporate trainer/assessor.
Luisa loves using her creativity for crafting and baking, as well as writing historical and contemporary fiction with romantic elements. She and her husband are the proud owners of Gwynnie, a Volkswagen camper van built in 1974, which inspired the story behind Luisa’s first book, Goes Without Saying. They have three children, a dog, and two cats.
Becoming an author fulfilled a lifelong ambition. Her first historical novel in The Fitznortons series, The Gilded Cage, was released by Storm Publishing in 2023, followed by the sequel The Broken Vow in January 2024.
You can keep in touch with Luisa using the following links:
Website www.luisaajones.com
Twitter/X https://twitter.com/Taffy_lulu
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LuisaAJonesauthor/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/luisa_a_jones_author/
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Thank You From Morton S. Gray
I would like to thank readers and fellow authors for the lovely reception for my own new novel A New Arrival in Borteen Bay on 23 January 2024. I was overwhelmed by support and sharing of the news of the novel. I also received a lovely gift from my publisher – a mug featuring the art work of the cover of A New Arrival in Borteen Bay – isn’t it lovely?
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