The Armor of Light: A Novel

A woman named Sal Clitheroe, with her young son, Kit, takes lunch to her husband, Harry. Together with three other working-class men, Harry is loading a cart while a fifth man, the wealthy son of the squire of Badford, watches over them. The squire’s son, Will Riddick, is impatient and demanding. He insists that the men load the cart even though the brake is in ill-repair and the cart is overloaded. Harry mocks Will briefly but falls quiet because it is “never wise to make a joke at the expense of the gentry” (6). Insolence is Harry’s weakness; he guards his tongue, as he needs this job to feed his family. Will Riddick lashes the horse and insists that the men push the cart. As warned, the brake fails and the cart crashes into Harry. He is wounded badly. Though she wants to scream, Sal organizes the men to carry Harry back to their home in Badford. As they arrive, rumors spread that Will Riddick is responsible for the accident.

The house is bare. Inside, the two most valuable objects are a family Bible and Sal’s spinning wheel, which she uses to add to the family’s income. Sal—knowing that Harry will need to work—begs the doctor not to amputate his leg.