Publisher's Synopsis
In 1824 Jose Maria de Torrijos arrives in England with his wife Luisa. This is an England full of pride after Waterloo but corrupted with excess after the Regency period. The very centre of London displays such opulent new architecture during the reign of King George IV, but poverty and crime exist everywhere across the fast-growing metropolis.
Jose' and Luisa are in exile from Spain due to Torrijos' fierce liberal opposition to the 'absolutist' government of King Ferdinand II. The Fuerza de Proteccion para el Absolutismo Borbon, or 'PAB', Ferdinand's paranoid, secret organisation, keeps watch over all the exiled liberal leaders and tries to assassinate Torrijos, who also foils a violent PAB attempt to kidnap Luisa. Torrijos is helped into employment by Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, his mentor from fighting in the 'Peninsular War' together. Life was low profile and calm, but the noble Spanish couple are tempted to live centrally to be close to other members of their comrades' 'Board of Uprising'. Thanks to his relationship with The Duke, Torrijos leases a home in St James's in Central London. They are swept up into the social whirl of the 1820s, with all its competition and falseness. Torrijos has lived his whole life as a soldier and he has a driving need to return to that role. Luisa realises this more than her husband but she acclimatizes well to London life. Society adores her for her vivacity, bordering on flirtatiousness. She remains faithful to Torrijos in spite of attempts to woo her by some of the highest-profile men in London. They experience many popular activities, from attending the Royal Enclosure at The Derby to House parties in Brighton. Jose' is taken to gentlemen's clubs, brothels and cock-fighting. The strain between the couple worsens as they realise that they are becoming incompatible. Luisa receives continued male attention as her husband deepens his obsession with politics and revolution. He is oblivious and indifferent to her until Viscount Manchester tries to seduce and rape his wife. The altercation results in Torrijos fighting a duel with the noble to defend his wife's honour. They must both make a choice as Torrijos mobilises his funding for his band to move to Gibraltar, as their base to mount skirmishes with Ferdinand's army. He knows he has to sacrifice his marriage for the good of his cause. Luisa tries to persuade him to abandon their plans as she foresees only tragedy - and his execution - in a vivid dream. But she has to allow the love of her life to leave her. Is this a selfish choice to live her own life? Or should she stay with him throughout, in the knowledge that she could be widowed at any moment and possibly captured and hung herself, as an example of King Ferdinand's brutality even to those of noble birth who are disloyal to him?
