The Cavalier's Oath

by Eleanor Swift-Hook

‘A superb blend of history and a likeable hero and engaging plot.’ Richard Foreman, author of Turpin’s Assassin .

England, May 1643

With the country riven by civil war, word reaches Royalist headquarters in Oxford that the Parliamentarian commander Sir William Waller plans to capture the strategic city of Worcester.

Sir Philip Lord, a mercenary commander with a mysterious past, is sent to help prepare Worcester to withstand a siege. With Lord is Gideon Lennox, a young lawyer, who has been helping Lord unravel the secretive conspiracy that has overshadowed his life.

Gideon is seeking clues to that mystery when a young woman is killed, leading him to fear for the safety of his own beloved, the unattainable Zahara.

Tasked to unmask the murderer, Gideon finds his two investigations lead to the same house - that of the puritan preacher Nehemiah Fisher and his wife Joan. But another death results in Gideon himself falling under suspicion.

When one of the women close to Lord is attacked, the killer leaves a clue, but the finger it points leaves Gideon in a bleak place. If he brings the murderer to justice he risks losing the final chance to uncover Lord’s heritage.

But when the confrontation comes, all choice is taken from him. Facing the murderer alone, Gideon has to unleash his own inner darkness if he is to survive.

Eleanor Swift-Hook fell in love with the early Stuart era at university. She is the author of the Lord's Legacy series. She lives in County Durham.

Praise for Eleanor
‘Thrilling and powerful battle scenes, a conspiracy and a dash of romance – The Devil’s Command has it all!’ Fiona Forsyth, author of the Lucius Sestius mysteries.

'Brutal, dark, and brilliant; it kept me gripped from the gruesome opening to the thrilling conclusion.' Jemahl Evans, author of The Last Roundhead.

272 pages, Paperback

Published March 20, 2023

About the author

Eleanor Swift-Hook enjoys the mysteries of history and fell in love with the early Stuart era at university when she re-enacted battles and living history events with the English Civil War Society. Since then, she has had an ongoing fascination with the social, military and political events that unfolded during the Thirty Years' War and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. She lives in County Durham and loves writing stories woven into the historical backdrop of those dramatic times.

You can find her on Twitter @emswifthook or learn more about the background of Lord's Legacy on her website www.eleanorswifthook.com.

Reviews

[Ben Bergonzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book opens in May 1643, when the Civil War is still going the Royalists’ way. The book’s principal characters are all on that side of the war, but they are far from in agreement with one another. Events are seen through the eyes of Gideon Lennox, though the plot is chiefly motivated by the actions of Sir Philip Lord, who employs Lennox (usually known as Gideon Fox) amongst his many followers, military and civilian. One of these is Christobel, estranged wife of Lord’s cruel enemy Nicholas Tempest; the latter’s attempt to recover her is one of the plotlines. Lord, his wife Catherine, Christobel and Gideon travel from Oxford to the city of Worcester whose defence is to be strengthened by Lord’s regiments of Horse and Foot. Here there is wangling about the lines of command, including an enjoyable artillery duel fought between Lord’s officer Danny Bristow and another commander, a whodunnit as two women are found murdered, and battle scenes as the Parliament forces attack the city. However, amidst all this, the dominant plot strand is the attempt by Lord to penetrate a conspiracy around a secret bloodline from Henry VIII, which may nullify all the era’s religious divisions.
Lord’s character is immensely charismatic: fearless, poetry-quoting. Lord’s wife and Christobel are stylish and feisty women. At one point Christobel encourages others to join her sitting on hay bales, which amusingly looks forward to all the beer tents of the modern re-enactment societies (amongst which I well remember ‘refighting’ the English Civil War.) The intricate conspiracy element of the plot was for me a little less interesting than the War itself. Very occasionally the language slips out of period: eg. 'Gideon felt his heart drop away in freefall.'
Still, I found this a gripping read and the culmination of an excellent series which brings to gripping life a rollicking version of the 17th century reminiscent of the TV series The Flashing Blade and the 1970s Three Musketeers and Four Musketeers films, but with the clever addition of whodunnit plots worthy of Agatha Christie. If you would rather have history and research than fantasy and mythology, I would recommend anyone who wants to lose themselves in their books to tackle this series rather than Lord of the Rings.

[Tony Riches · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sixth and final book of the Lord's Legacy series is a masterclass in how to bring together the complex and unresolved strands of an entire series to a satisfying conclusion.

My plan was to read one book a month, but I found I couldn't wait to find out what happened next - and raced through this last book. I like the way Eleanor Swift-Hook has built an ensemble cast of characters, and reveals a little more backstory in each book.

These are men and women you can care about, with enough well-researched history to create a compelling world based on actual events.

This is a series I will return to with the benefit of knowing how the mysteries are solved. I thoroughly recommend reading the Lord's Legacy series in order, and am inspired to look deeper into the truth behind the often over simplified explanations of the English Civil War.

Tony Riches

[ian tanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lords legacy

I read the series one after another, an absolute joy to read with great characters, humour, politics, battles and intrigue, couldnt put it down, more of the same please

[Jane Jago · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end of Gideon and Lord’s story is beautifully satisfying. Loved the book. Loved the series