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Treason
Second Edition. As Stephen Long steps ashore in England one gray dawn in May 1581, he wonders how many more Catholics will have to die to make Queen Elizabeth feel secure. Involuntarily, he trembles at the thought that soon he may be numbered among them.
For in the days ahead, each time Stephen hears confession or celebrates Mass, he commits yet another act of high treason against the British Crown, for which Queen Elizabeth's swift penalty is gruesome torture and painful death. As Stephen hastens to find shelter away from that open beach, he struggles not only with fear but with doubt as "Is my mission foolish? Am I nothing more than fresh meat for the queen's butchers?"
In the light of that same gray dawn, just a few miles north, a heartbroken Caroline Wingate lies awake in her unhappy marriage bed, wrestling with thoughts of a different - perhaps crueler - martyrdom.
Although from her earliest years Caroline has known herself to be called to cloistered, contemplative life as a nun, some years ago she was forced by her father into a politically safe marriage with an upright Protestant from whom she must hide her Catholicism - and her true vocation - lest she, too, be executed for her faith.
For in the days ahead, each time Stephen hears confession or celebrates Mass, he commits yet another act of high treason against the British Crown, for which Queen Elizabeth's swift penalty is gruesome torture and painful death. As Stephen hastens to find shelter away from that open beach, he struggles not only with fear but with doubt as "Is my mission foolish? Am I nothing more than fresh meat for the queen's butchers?"
In the light of that same gray dawn, just a few miles north, a heartbroken Caroline Wingate lies awake in her unhappy marriage bed, wrestling with thoughts of a different - perhaps crueler - martyrdom.
Although from her earliest years Caroline has known herself to be called to cloistered, contemplative life as a nun, some years ago she was forced by her father into a politically safe marriage with an upright Protestant from whom she must hide her Catholicism - and her true vocation - lest she, too, be executed for her faith.
188 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 16, 2025
2 people want to read
About the author
Dena Hunt
5 books13 followersDena Hunt taught English at the University of New Orleans until her conversion to Christianity in 1984. Following her reception into the Roman Catholic Church, she returned to her native Georgia and taught in rural high schools for the next twenty years. It was not until after her retirement and a pilgrimage to England in 2006 that she started writing. Since then, she has published many short stories, essays, and reviews in print and online.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 26, 2026
For some reason, it took me forever to move this book from my to-read to actively reading list. Its handy Kindle Unlimited availability finally prompted me to dive in, and I'm glad I did.
Treason personalizes the persecution of Catholics in Elizabethan England, giving readers a glimpse of all those affected, from priests to secret Catholics and recusants as well as religious and nonreligious non-Catholics whose friends and neighbors were among those cited for treason and summarily executed.
If you have any knowledge of England's history, you know where the plot is headed, but that doesn't diminish the enjoyment of getting there. I appreciated the author's careful observance of the human condition and what moves and motivates people of all types and creeds.
The plot and storytelling kept me engaged as succeeding events and revelations brought the story to its natural conclusion. Faith, sin, and martyrdom are treated as the complex things that they are.
I withheld a star only because the omniscient point of view (told through many characters) sometimes caused me to pause and re-read in order to solidify characters.
Treason personalizes the persecution of Catholics in Elizabethan England, giving readers a glimpse of all those affected, from priests to secret Catholics and recusants as well as religious and nonreligious non-Catholics whose friends and neighbors were among those cited for treason and summarily executed.
If you have any knowledge of England's history, you know where the plot is headed, but that doesn't diminish the enjoyment of getting there. I appreciated the author's careful observance of the human condition and what moves and motivates people of all types and creeds.
The plot and storytelling kept me engaged as succeeding events and revelations brought the story to its natural conclusion. Faith, sin, and martyrdom are treated as the complex things that they are.
I withheld a star only because the omniscient point of view (told through many characters) sometimes caused me to pause and re-read in order to solidify characters.
Displaying 1 of 1 review