The Armor of Light: A Novel

Spade lights a candle in the cathedral to memorialize his late wife, Betsy. She died in childbirth, and their child “never entered the world” (153). Spade notices Arabella behind him. They strike up a conversation about books and love; Spade has thought often about Arabella since first meeting her in his sister’s shop. She makes an “intimate confession” (155), alluding to the lovelessness of her marriage to the bishop. As they are about to part, Arabella kisses Spade, then leaves. He is stunned.

Joseph Hornbeam reads the newspaper to his family at breakfast. He believes that England should never make “peace with those murderous French revolutionaries” (157). When his daughter Deborah mentions Will Riddick, Hornbeam begins to entertain the notion of her marrying the squire’s eldest son. He has many army contracts through Will, who was willing to pay the bribe that Amos was not. The meal is interrupted by Alfred Nash, a milkman who is friendly with the hands and who owes money to Hornbeam. He acts as a spy for Hornbeam, updating him about the hands’ plans for a Socratic Society. Hornbeam is determined to “stamp out these troublemakers” (159). In particular, he hates Spade. He encourages Nash to join the society and continue to update him on what is happening.

Sal asks Roger to give the first lecture at the Socratic Society, and Roger agrees. Later, Arabella talks to Spade “as if nothing had happened” (163). He is unsure how to act, knowing how damaging it would be if he were known to have an affair with the bishop’s wife. He attends the first meeting of the Socratic Society. Several wealthy people are also in attendance. Roger delivers a lecture about the solar system. He is a charismatic speaker, and his lecture is a great success. Next, the Society would like to discuss something more political. Rather than a radical subject, however, Spade suggests that they choose as their subject matter a criticism of radical subjects. This will give them the appearance of conformity, while also introducing more challenging ideas.

As a poor young boy in London, Hornbeam was terrified of justices, yet he is now a Kingsbridge justice and hates “the smell of the poor” (172). Due to the failures of recent harvests, many people have become desperate. In their desperation, they have turned to theft. Hornbeam wants to dole out severe punishments to thieves. With the other justices, he discusses the “dangerous” (173) Socratic Society. Will Riddick shares his concern, while Drinkwater is less worried. After the meeting, Hornbeam and Will discuss Deborah. Hornbeam is pleased by Will’s interest in his daughter, as such a marriage would improve his social standing. However, he is concerned about Will’s reputation for womanizing and debauchery. Hornbeam is also worried about finding a wife for his unimpressive son, Howard. Will and Hornbeam decide to raid the house of Jeremiah Hiscock, one of the organizers of the Socratic Society, in search of “seditious” (176) literature.

The raid takes place the next day. Hornbeam, Will, and the “pompous” (178) Sheriff Doye enter Hiscock’s house and, after a search, uncover the “seditious and treasonable material” (183). Hiscock is sentenced to be publicly flogged; Hornbeam demands 50 lashes, a particularly harsh punishment. Elsewhere, Spade learns what has happened. He advises Hiscock’s wife how to help her husband survive the ordeal and, suspecting that Nash is the traitor, hatches a plan to expose Nash. He is then called to the shop by Kate; his sister takes him to one of the fitting rooms in her shop, where Arabella is waiting for him. She is worried that Spade may also be targeted by Hornbeam. They are nearly interrupted by another customer, so Arabella leaves. Spade is sure that his sister will keep his secret, as he has kept hers. Meeting Nash, Spade falsely tells the milkman that he is also hiding radical literature. He suspects that Nash will tell Hornbeam. The flogging takes place. The brutal spectacle turns Hiscock into a sympathetic figure. Two days later, Hornbeam, Will, and Doye raid Spade’s home and find nothing. Hornbeam is furious, and Spade knows that Nash is “a traitor” (195).

Hornbeam settles on Isobel “Bel” Marsh as a wife for Howard. Her father Isaac runs “the best-run dying business in town” (196), a suitable addition to his growing business empire. Hornbeam is told that there was no milk delivery, so he visits Nash’s dairy. There, Nash is in bed, covered in bandages, having been attacked by three masked men. Hornbeam is furious and wants to crush the Socratic Society, agreeing to cover Nash’s expenses until he has healed. He cares less about the money than being “outwitted by Spade” (201). He decides to visit Viscount Northwood, the Member of Parliament for Kingsbridge. When he arrives, he sees Jane Midwinter flirting with Colonel Northwood. Hornbeam shares his concerns about the Socratic Society, but Northwood is dismissive. Leaving, Hornbeam walks to the cathedral and hatches a plan to instigate a riot at the next meeting, thereby showing that the Society is a hotbed of violence and sedition. He approaches Will Riddick, believing that the hard drinking Will knows “a few ruffians” (206) who can be persuaded to start a fight at the next meeting. Will is not alone when Hornbeam arrives. He is in the company of a sex worker, surrounded by empty bottles. Hornbeam is unimpressed but secures Will’s help for his plan. He warns Will to give up “this sort of thing” (208) if he is to marry Hornbeam’s daughter.

Amos meets Rupe Underwood, who claims that he has “given up on Jane” (210). She cancelled their informal engagement, he says, because he does not have enough money. Following the Methodists’ official split from the Church of England, Jane’s father has lost most of his wealth and status, and Jane wants to find a husband who can provide her with a lavish lifestyle. Later, Amos sees Jane beside her mother’s grave. He strikes up a conversation and she reiterates her lack of interest in being his wife. Amos attends the theater and sits next to Elsie. They discuss Jane; Elsie’s criticisms of her behavior make Amos uncomfortable. During the intermission, Jane flirts with Henry Northwood, and Amos concedes that she is a “shameless social climber” (216). Amos agrees to walk Elsie home after the play. This is Amos’s first experience of Shakespeare, and he soon falls in love with the play. He shares his enthusiasm with Elsie but is confused by her comments about unrequited love.

In the following days, Elsie attends funerals for three children who died of deprivation and hunger after their father was killed in a mill. They were students at Elsie’s Sunday School, and she is furious that she was not able to provide them with help. With Amos, she plans to offer more food to the poor children. Elsie is in love with Amos, though he is too in love with Jane to notice her. After he leaves, she visits the cathedral. She intervenes in an argument between Sport Culliver and a man who owes him money. During the confrontation, she meets Kenelm Mackintosh, who has recently been promoted to become Bishop Latimer’s aide. Kenelm is an ambitious and highly educated young man who hides his Scottish identity because there was “a certain amount of prejudice” (222) in his university. Elsie takes Kenelm to her father, and while she voices her plans to feed more of the children, Kenelm struggles to take a diplomatic position.

Sal is impressed that the Socratic Society has become “such a big thing” (225). For Sal, however, the Society is only the first step in improving workers’ conditions in Kingsbridge. She attends the latest meeting of the Society and is surprised to see the Shiring Militia posted nearby, including Spade’s brother-in-law, Freddie Cains, and Will Riddick. She demands an explanation, to which Will responds that his men are ready “to deal with any trouble” (227). Inside, she sees many familiar faces and many strangers. The speaker is Reverand Small, who introduces a discussion on workers’ rights, nominally taking the conservative position. Despite this, many of the newcomers interrupt and accuse him of being a radical and a “traitor” (229). Quickly, a fight breaks out. Many members of the Society are arrested, including Jarge. Sal and Reverend Midwinter intervene to ensure that Will arrests the real troublemakers as well as members of the Society.

The justices gather to hear the cases of those arrested at the Society meeting. Hornbeam wants them punished harshly. His only disappointment is that Spade was not among those arrested. During the trial, he realizes that Drinkwater has made plans to counter Hornbeam’s plans. The jury finds all participants in the riot guilty, and everyone arrested is sentenced to a day in the stocks. Hornbeam, disappointed by this ruling, uses a newspaper article describing a recent attack on the King by a mob of discontented workers to convince Viscount Northwood that the aging Drinkwater should be replaced as a justice, but he does not win Northwood’s favor.

The war causes price inflation, but the workers’ wages do not rise, so many people struggle to support themselves. Sal and Joanie must budget accordingly, denying themselves and their families anything but the cheapest food. They talk about the two recent marriages in Kingsbridge: Howard Hornbeam has married Bel Marsh, and Deborah Hornbeam has married Will Riddick. A large celebration is to be thrown for the joint weddings. Hornbeam plans to invite many people, currying favor in hopes of one day replacing Mayor Fishwick. At home, Sal discovers that the elderly Aunt Dottie has died in her bed. Sal is surprised to see how “very thin” (247) Dottie had become.

Elsie and Arabella attend the wedding. Elsie loves her mother, but they do “not have much in common” (249). They observe the other guests and pass judgement on the couples. When Arabela is invited to dance by Isaac Marsh, Elsie finds herself talking to Kenelm Mackintosh. She suspects that the pompous young priest wants to marry her, but she is still in love with Amos. When Amos is seated with them, Kenelm seems desperate to assert himself over his apparent rival. When Kenelm is called away by the bishop, Amos reveals that Roger—who attended university with Kenelm—described Kenelm as a “sycophant” (252). Elsie is annoyed by his suggestion that Kenelm would only want to marry her to further his career. When Jane appears, Amos rushes to her, leaving Elsie alone. Arabella is aware of the complexity of the romantic situation surrounding her daughter. She admits to Elsie that her marriage never involved any “grand passion” (254) though she does not regret marrying the bishop because it resulted in Elsie.

St. Adolphus is the patron saint of Kingsbridge Cathedral. On his holy day, a special fair is held. Sal attends with Joanie and Jarge. They witness Hornbeam selling grain to an out-of-town merchant even as the people of Kingsbridge are going hungry. Incensed, Joanie rushes to the dock to try to stop the sale. The militia is called, though they will not fire on the angry mob of people they know so well. Mayor Fishwick reads the Riot Act, and in the chaos, Sal throws a stone at Will Riddick’s head. She is then knocked out. When she comes to, Jarge is with her. She is overcome with a sudden surge of desire. They have sex together for the first time, then venture outside, where Joanie is reselling Hornbeam’s grain to local bakers on the condition that they sell the resulting bread at a reasonable rate. In the following days, she is arrested. Hornbeam fixes the jury against Joanie, and even though the evidence is dubious, her case is sent to the assizes, the court with the power to rule on cases involving capital punishment.

Joanie is in jail, awaiting her trial. Sal and Jarge continue their relationship; in bed one day, they decide to get married. Sal’s only concern is Jarge’s “violent streak” (277), though he promises to never hurt her or Kit. She agrees to marry him. In Parliament, new laws are created which outlaw people meeting together “for the purpose of criticizing the government or the king” (278). Spade and Amos criticize these laws, but they fear that the Socratic Society must rebrand to avoid persecution. After a meeting, Amos talks frankly to Jane, but she reiterates her desire to marry Northwood. Sal and Jarge get married and celebrate in the jail alongside Joanie. After the wedding, Sal writes Jarge’s name in her family Bible.

Twice a year, a judge from London visits Kingsbridge to hold the assize courts. The night before Joanie’s trial, Hornbeam holds a lavish party to welcome the judge. Deborah wonders whether the band might play a waltz, but her father is against “obscene dancing” (284). Amos dances with Elsie, but studies Jane from afar. She is fixated on Northwood, but Amos takes comfort from the fact that—even if they married—Northwood might be killed in the war against the French. Spade pays the band to play a waltz and dances with Arabella. They risk causing a scandal, but other dancers eventually join in. Elsie, realizing that Amos will never give Jane up, decides that she must face “reality” (287). She wants a family, so she decides to forget her love for Amos and accepts a proposal from Kenelm Mackintosh. Meanwhile, Jane escorts the drunken Northwood around the grounds. She manipulates him into proposing to her and then announces their engagement to the party. Amos is dismayed. Later, Spade leads Arabella into a private, locked room in the cathedral, where they consummate their affair.

Joanie’s trial is held at the assize court. Many people are discussing the two big marriage announcements, but attention switches back to the trial when Joanie is declared guilty. Rather than execution, however, the judge sentences her to transportation. She will be sent to Australia for 14 years. Sal knows that this is “effectively banishment for life” (300) as very few people ever return. She and Jarge must take care of Joanie’s daughter, Sue. Kit watches his family bid an emotional farewell to Joanie as she boards a ship for Australia.