Children of Fire by Paul CW Beatty - Book Blitz
Children
of Fire
Can
Josiah solve the puzzle before more people die, or is he out of his depth?
In
1841, at the height of the industrial revolution in the North West of England,
Josiah Ainscough returns from his travels and surprises everyone by joining the
Stockport Police Force, rather than following his adopted father’s footsteps
into the Methodist ministry.
While
Josiah was abroad, five men died in an explosion at the Furness Vale Powder
Mill. Was this an accident or did the Children of Fire, a local religious
community, have a hand in it. As Josiah struggles to find his vocation, his
investigation into the Children of Fire begins. But his enquiries are derailed
by the horrific crucifixion of the community’s leader.
Now
Josiah must race against time to solve the puzzle of the violence loose in the
Furness Vale before more people die. This is complicated by his affections for
Rachael, a leading member of the Children of Fire, and the vivacious Aideen
Hayes, a visitor from Ireland.
Can
Josiah put together the pieces of the puzzle, or is he out of his depth? Children
of Fire won the Writing Magazine’s Best Novel Prize for 2017
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Excerpt
Constable Josiah Ainscough has been sent to visit
the religious community of the Children of Fire by the Chairman of the Watch
Committee in charge of Stockport’s new Police Force. Josiah has been instructed
to infiltrate the community and find out about them, particularly if they have
any animosity towards a local Gunpowder Mill at Furness Vale which had recent
fatal accident.
Next to the farmhouse stood a small chapel, above
the door of which was a black plaque with white letters: Bethel J T 1801.
Whoever JT had been, it was a fine memorial to him and his faith.
The downstairs windows of the farmhouse were open,
and a girl was happily singing a hymn. The voice was light and the singer
happy; who would not be in such a place? Swallows flicked and skidded their way
round house, chapel and under the trees. The hedges had more than their fair
share of finches, warblers and throstles.
Josiah pushed open the garden gate and walked down the path. He knocked
and the singing stopped. After a few seconds the door opened and there was the
girl.
She
was not the down to earth, bucolic milkmaid, used to hard physical labour he
had expected. Though she was flushed from the efforts of her work and there
were wisps of untidy hair floating over her oval face, that was as far as
earthiness went. This girl was tall and slim, with dark golden hair and hazel
eyes. The hands she was wiping had long fingers. He guessed that like him she
was in her early twenties or perhaps a little younger. She was beautiful and
the increase in his pulse rate indicated that it wasn’t merely an intellectual
assessment. She wore an inquisitive look, accompanied by a friendly smile.
‘Can
I help you?’ she said.
‘Well
I was passing and it’s a hot day. I wondered if I could beg some water.’
‘Of
course, our pump is in the backyard. You are welcome to come and drink or wash
if you need to get the dust of the road from yourself. We pride ourselves on
our hospitality. All are welcome to Long Clough.’
Inside,
the house was as unexpected as the girl. The front door did not lead to a
corridor between living rooms but directly into a stoutly flagged, capacious
kitchen. On the right was a black metal range with a fire. Hooks to the ceiling
held a variety of iron and copper pans. Opposite the door was a fine oak
sideboard, heavily carved and decorated with mouldings. Daylight came in from
leaded windows in the back wall.
The girl led him up two steps into a second,
high-beamed room with a long table. From this room was a corridor that led to
storerooms and finally a washhouse, complete with a steaming copper and a
basket of washing.
‘You
are welcome to whatever you need,’ she said indicating a sunlit door at the end
of the corridor.
Josiah emerged into a cobbled courtyard with a pump
over a trough. Taking off his pack and putting down his walking stick he pumped
out water with one hand as he ladled it into his mouth with the other. It was
cold and tasted slightly earthy but it was clear and pure. Having slaked his
thirst, he rolled back the collar of his shirt and drenched his head under the
full force of the pump.
‘You
look as though you needed that.’
He had not heard her coming, probably because his
head was under the water. He did not
know how long she had been watching him, which made him feel uncomfortable.
Perhaps his attraction was far too visible to her.
‘Yes,’
he said. He laughed awkwardly and cursed himself for his sudden nervousness. He
had negotiated his way into jobs on farms dozens of times while on his travels.
He had chatted happily with young women in exactly these circumstances without
embarrassment and he’d done it in French or Spanish. Now, being aware of his
attraction to Rachael made him nervous and uncertain despite his desire to be
seen as confident and experienced.
She
smiled and handed a towel to him. ‘When you’ve dried yourself would you mind
helping me hang out the washing?’
‘It
would be my pleasure,’ he said. He held out a wet hand to her. ‘My name is
Josiah. What is yours?’
‘I
am Rachael, Sister Rachael.’
‘Sister?
If I may say so, that’s a strange way for a young woman to describe herself.’
She
laughed. ‘I suppose it is. I’m so familiar with it I suppose I don’t notice
that it might sound odd to a stranger like yourself. I am a member of a
religious community here in Long Clough. We’re called the Children of Fire.
We’re intent on living from the land, praising God and serving our neighbours.
We call each other Brother and Sister. You may have heard of us?’
Author Bio
–
Paul CW Beatty
is an unusual combination of a novelist and a research scientist. Having worked
for many years in medical research in the UK NHS and Universities, a few years
ago he took an MA in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University
emerging with a distinction.
His latest novel, Children of Fire, is a
Victorian murder mystery set in 1841 at the height of the industrial
revolution. It won the Writing Magazine’s Best Novel Award in November 2017 and
is published by The Book Guild Ltd.
Paul lives near Manchester in the northwest of
England. Children of Fire is set against the hills of the Peak District as well
as the canals and other industrial infrastructure of the Cottonopolis know as
the City of Manchester.
Social
Media Links – Twitter @cw_beatty
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