Outcasts

by Martin Lake

  VERY LIKE A QUEEN.

  The King’s favor was her sanctuary—until his desire turned dangerous.

  Alice Petherton is well practiced at using her beauty and wits to survive in the Court of King Henry VIII. As the King’s favorite, she enjoys his protection but after seeing the downfall of three of his wives, she’s determined to avoid the same fate. Alice must walk a fine line between mistress and wife.

  She finds a powerful protector in Thomas Cromwell and Alice has every reason to believe that she will continue to enjoy a life of wealth and comfort at Court…until she puts everything at risk by falling in love with a Frenchman, Nicholas Bourbon.

  When Cromwell is executed, Alice loses her only ally and flees to France. There she hopes to live in peace with Nicholas. But Alice is lured into a perilous game of treason and peace doesn’t last long. Will Alice get back the life and love she’s fought for? Or will she lose herself to the whims of a capricious monarch?

  A DANCE OF PRIDE AND PERIL

  Four thousand years ago, Crete is a land of contrasts. The mountains are wild and forbidding yet on the coast, a new world is arising.

  Mulia is famous for its thrilling and deadly acrobatic displays, where young men face the fierce charges of giant bulls, leaping over them or dying in the attempt. Talita is sold to the owner of the arena and trains as a dancer, her job to entertain the audience and goad the raging bulls.

  Yet she wants more than this. Even as a child, she protected her flock from bears and wolves and was undaunted by them. Now she yearns to be a bull-leaper, a role reserved for men. Her friends and lover believe she is foolish to have such dreams. Foolish, wilful and dangerously reckless.

  When she realises that she has a bond with Torq, the mightiest of the bulls, her ambition grows even stronger. Yet her dreams are thwarted when priests arrive from Egypt and steal Torq. Her enemies accuse Talita of taking Torq and she and her lover Pellon are condemned to death.

  Will she find the strength and courage to escape? Dare she voyage to the distant land of Egypt and challenge the powerful, cunning, High Priest? Can she liberate Torq, prove her innocence and save her life?

  THE ARTFUL DODGER

  After his trial Dodger is transported to New South Wales. He is taken in by a kindly family and learns to improve himself. But when he returns to England he finds himself stalked by a man who seeks to kill him.

  PATHS OF TIME

  We all live within the bounds of time and it marches on inexorably. Yet sometimes it has an elusive, subtle feel which makes us feel uneasy or perhaps exhilarated. On occasion time does not work at all as we expect. We are wrong-footed, confused, beguiled.

  FOR KING AND COUNTRY

  Three short stories set in the First World War.

  NUGGETS

  Fast fiction for quiet moments.

  MR TOAD’S WEDDING

  First prize winner in the competition to write a sequel story to The Wind in the Willows.

  MR TOAD TO THE RESCUE

  Mr Toad almost gets married but he has a lucky escape. The bride is kidnapped, not once but twice and Toad and his friends leave their familiar home to journey to the French Riviera on a desperate rescue mission.

  THE BIG SCHOOL

  Three light-hearted short stories about a boy's experience of growing up.

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  Born and raised in England, Martin Lake discovered his love of history and writing at an early age. He worked as a teacher and trainer before he decided to combine his two passions and write a historical novel. Since then, he has written nine novels and several collections of short stories. When not writing, he can be found travelling, exploring interesting places and watching the world go by. He lives on the French Riviera with his wife.