St. George and St. Michael

In Short

Set during the turmoil of the English Civil War, this historical romance traces the tangled paths of Dorothy Vaughan, a devoted Royalist, and Richard Heywood, an ardent supporter of Parliament. Once bound by childhood affection, their contrasting beliefs pull them onto opposite sides of the national rift. Dorothy finds refuge at Raglan Castle, the stronghold of the formidable Marquis of Worcester, while Richard joins the Roundhead forces. Through sieges, secret missions, mechanical marvels, and personal betrayals, both figures face grueling tests of loyalty and honor. The narrative endures for its rich period detail, its deep empathy for opposing factions, and its timeless exploration of how personal affection survives the ruin of war.

The Story

The gathering storm of the English Civil War creeps into the quiet rural world of Dorothy Vaughan and Richard Heywood. Raised near one another, their early bond dissolves as political and religious divides sharpen across Great Britain. Dorothy, anchored in her devotion to the Church of England and the King, looks with horror upon the rising Parliamentarian sentiment. Richard, drawn to the cause of freedom and Puritan principles, finds himself equally unable to compromise his conscience. When Dorothy rejects Richard over a political pamphlet, their separation marks the end of their youth and the beginning of a long trial.

Dorothy takes refuge at Raglan Castle, the magnificent seat of the Catholic Marquis of Worcester and his ingenious son, Lord Herbert. Welcomed into the household, she becomes a trusted companion to Lady Margaret, Lord Herbert’s wife. Raglan is a bustling world of loyalist intrigue, military preparation, and mechanical wonders. Lord Herbert, an inventor and alchemist, constructs extraordinary water engines and hidden passages within the fortress walls. Amidst this grand atmosphere, Dorothy proves her courage, managing household duties and even contending with personal rivalries, notably the envy of mistress Amanda Fuller, whose malicious deceit eventually leads to her banishment from the castle.

Meanwhile, Richard enters the conflict as a officer in the Parliamentary army. Yet his heart remains plagued by doubts. Wounded in battle and grappling with the brutality of war, he begins to question whether military triumph can ever bring true spiritual freedom or bridge the chasm between man and God. His path repeatedly crosses with Royalist foes, including Rowland Scudamore, a proud page whom Richard disarms and subsequently aids, earning a complex mutual respect that transcends their battlefield enmity.

Raglan Castle gradually becomes a central refuge for the Royalist cause, eventually harboring King Charles himself after devastating military setbacks. Dorothy observes the monarch closely, experiencing both reverence for his royal presence and sorrow at the political frailties that undermine his reign. As Parliamentary forces close in, the castle endures a harrowing siege. Lord Herbert’s marvelous inventions and the Marquis’s steadfast leadership delay the inevitable, but Raglan ultimately falls.

In the aftermath of the surrender, the aged Marquis is brought low, stripped of his ancestral home, yet he maintains his quick wit and noble spirit until his final hours in custody. Richard and Dorothy, having both suffered the physical and emotional scars of the prolonged strife, are brought together once more. Having tested their convictions in the crucible of war, they find that their shared integrity and enduring love provide a foundation upon which to heal.

How It Unfolds

The gathering storm In an autumnal twilight, Master Herbert and a noble lady reflect sadly on the rising tide of political unrest against the Church and Kingdom. Meanwhile, local villagers gather to debate Parliament's authority and the dark rumors surrounding the Marquis of Worcester's family.

A rift between sweethearts Dorothy Vaughan sharply rebukes Richard Heywood over a Parliamentarian pamphlet, decreeing an end to their friendship unless he recants his new principles. Heartbroken and bitter at her unyielding judgment, Richard seeks solace in his father's stable with his favorite mare.

Honor on the road After an unjust quarrel leaves a young Royalist page, Rowland Scudamore, injured, Richard repents of his hot-headedness and brings his own horse to convey his opponent home. Richard’s father commends his confession of wrong, warning him of the heavy burdens of private quarrels during national strife.

Arrival at Raglan Castle Seeking safety, Dorothy enters the grand household of Raglan Castle, bringing along her faithful mastiff, Marquis. Her dog causes an immediate uproar by roaming the castle and tracking her to an audience with the Marquis of Worcester himself.

Wonders of the keep Lord Herbert demonstrates to Dorothy his remarkable water-engine inside the castle moat, showing how high-pressure jets can serve as both defensive marvels and offensive torrents against potential invaders.

Trapped in the workshop Exploring the castle's inner workings, Dorothy finds herself inadvertently trapped in one of Lord Herbert’s mechanical chairs. She is rescued only late at night by Caspar, the loyal artisan, who picklocks the cabinet to release her freezing limbs.

Eavesdropping and uproar The Marquis keeps watch from his study over the fountain court, only to be startled by the tremendous roar of Lord Herbert's subterranean water engine discharging a sudden torrent against the chapel door.

Doubts of a Roundhead Lying wounded in his chamber, Richard suffers a crisis of faith, questioning what the violent civil conflict truly achieves for a man's soul when human systems cannot clear the space between the heart and God.

A nocturnal pursuit Richard uses his whip as a leash to follow Dorothy's dog, Marquis, through the moonlit fields toward Raglan Castle, guided by the silhouette of the great keep rising against the night sky.

Jealousy and intrigue Amanda Fuller, driven by envy and suspicion, watches Dorothy closely, unable to comprehend her noble motives and misinterpreting her complex encounters with the enemy.

The secret passage revealed Lord Herbert uncovers the hidden secret exit from the castle ramparts, demonstrating its reality to the household by sending a groom through the passage to re-emerge behind the gathered onlookers.

Exile of a schemer Her malicious schemes laid bare, Amanda is escorted out of Raglan Castle under cover of dark by armed guards, who drive her away to her mother's home in Caerleon.

A fevered return Exhausted, wounded, and delirious after his ordeal in the quarry, Richard collapses across the threshold of mother Rees's cottage, seeking her herbal restoratives and rest.

High honors and dark clouds Lord Herbert receives high military commissions from the King, bringing tears to his wife, Lady Margaret, who laments the heavy personal cost of public honors and missing her absent husband.

Royal presence King Charles visits Raglan Castle, presenting fresh apricots to the ladies of the household; Dorothy feels a mixture of deep awe and personal gratitude when the monarch picks a fruit for her.

Knighthood in defeat The King visits the wounded Rowland Scudamore to bestow a knighthood upon him, though Rowland struggles with guilt over his perceived failures on the field of battle.

Anger at the Crown Lady Margaret expresses bitter indignation to Dorothy over the King's willingness to let her husband take the blame for failed royal policies while hiding behind his loyalty.

Debating war and prayer In a tense bedside conversation, Rowland Scudamore accuses Richard of cowardice for praying before going into battle, while Richard defends his search for spiritual truth.

Searched at sunrise Stopped at a farmhouse, Dorothy is thoroughly searched by Dame Upstill, who discovers a hidden slip of paper tucked inside Dorothy's bodice.

The final hours The aged Marquis of Worcester prepares for death with calm good humor, receiving the last rites of the church and comforting those around his bedside with peaceful recollections.

Shadows of the past The narrative closes amidst the ruined, ivy-covered walls of Raglan Castle, meditating on how human hearts remain identical across the centuries despite the rise and fall of great houses.

The People

• Dorothy Vaughan: A steadfast, deeply principled young woman of firm Anglican and Royalist convictions. She seeks safety and truth amidst war, refusing to compromise her conscience for love. Over the course of the conflict, her initial rigid prejudices soften into a mature, empathetic grace.
• Richard Heywood: A thoughtful, brave young man who joins the Parliamentary cause. Driven by a desire for liberty and direct communion with God, he constantly wrestles with spiritual doubts regarding the brutality of war. His honor and mercy earn him the respect of friends and foes alike.
• The Marquis of Worcester: The elderly, devout Catholic ruler of Raglan Castle. He desires above all to serve his King and maintain his family's integrity. Generous, witty, and resilient, he faces the loss of his immense wealth and freedom with profound Christian serenity.
• Lord Herbert (later Earl of Glamorgan): The brilliant son of the Marquis, an inventor, mechanic, and devoted Royalist commander. He spends his energy constructing grand mechanical engines and executing dangerous diplomatic missions for the King, bearing unmerited dishonor with stoic loyalty.
• Lady Margaret: Lord Herbert’s devoted, spirited Irish wife. She seeks her husband's safety and presence over titles or grand court honors, speaking her mind boldly against the political maneuvers that put him in jeopardy.
• Rowland Scudamore: A proud, impetuous Royalist page who becomes a knight. Initially motivated by vanity and romantic rivalry, his interactions with Richard and his own military failures push him toward true personal honor.
• Amanda Fuller: A envious and suspicious gentlewoman within the Raglan household. Driven by malicious dislike of Dorothy, her deceitful schemes eventually bring about her quiet expulsion from the castle.

In Its Own Voice

'It is indeed an evil time,' said the old man. 'The world has seldom seen its like.'

An elderly clergyman gazes into the fireplace while reflecting on the turbulent ideological forces dividing the nation.

'Sir Rowland thou art, and SIR ROWLAND will the archangel cry when he calls thee from thy last sleep.'

The old Marquis reassures young Rowland Scudamore after the King bestows a knighthood upon him despite his sense of failure.

'I tremble a little, but I bethink me of him that made me and died for me, and now calleth me, and my heart revives within me.'

The Marquis offers his final words of faith and courage to his surrounding family as he prepares to meet his death.

What It's Really About

Beneath its historical pageantry and civil war maneuvering, the book explores the deep tension between outward religious conformity and inward spiritual truth. It argues that personal integrity and honest convictions matter far more than blind adherence to any political or religious party. Both Dorothy and Richard must grow out of narrow prejudices—she learning to see virtue in those outside her Church, and he recognizing that political victory cannot automatically liberate the human spirit.

The novel also meditates on the nature of loyalty and sacrifice. Through the figure of the Marquis of Worcester and his son Lord Herbert, the story examines the cost of unswerving devotion to an imperfect earthly sovereign, contrasting the fleeting nature of worldly titles with the enduring value of moral honor. Ultimately, the narrative asserts that true reconciliation requires individuals to look beyond external symbols, recognizing the shared humanity and divine connection that bind even battlefield adversaries together.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy rich historical fiction, philosophical romance, and deeply moral character studies will find much to admire here. The narrative offers a vivid, immersive portrait of seventeenth-century England, bringing to life the grand architecture of Raglan Castle, the intricate mechanics of early industrial invention, and the atmospheric beauty of the Welsh borderlands. Its empathetic treatment of both sides of the Civil War provides a refreshing perspective on historical conflict, focusing on human conscience rather than simple heroism or villainy.

The reading experience requires some patience. The prose is deliberately expansive, filled with period dialogue, archaic phrasing, and leisurely descriptions of domestic life and theological debate. Those accustomed to fast-paced modern thrillers may find the plot's slow, methodical unfolding challenging. However, the reward lies in the novel's profound psychological depth and warm, contemplative tone.

What lingers longest is the book's gentle humanity. Its portrayal of aged wisdom in the Marquis, the tragic weight of political duty, and the enduring affection between Dorothy and Richard creates a memorable reflection on how love and faith can survive the total breakdown of society.