The Armor of Light: A Novel

Sal struggles through the rain, carrying a heavy sack of potatoes. She finds a bakery, and inside, she manages to come to an agreement with the baker to use his oven. While she waits for the potatoes to cook, she falls asleep. Kit is woken in the middle of the night by the Earl of Shirling. They are summoned to a meeting where they are given an “important mission” (661). Kit and Northwood must take a message to Blücher and then report back on the Prussian army’s whereabouts. They ride together through the wet night. Meanwhile, Sal walks back to the camp with a sack of cooked potatoes. She walks through the dark, having woken up in the bakery to find the baker trying to sexually assault her. She threatened the man with a knife and left the bakery, but she is now lost in the dark. She sits under a tree until dawn and then finds the road. When she returns to the camp, she gives the potatoes to Jarge and the Kingsbridge men.

Kit and Northwood arrive in the Prussian camp. They deliver the message but worry about the lack of “urgency” (66) with which the men are mustering. Due to the rain and mud, the Prussian army will not reach the British army before the battle has begun. Northwood returns to the camp, while Kit stays behind as ordered, only leaving when he can give Wellington an estimate of when the Prussian army will reach the British.

Wellington orders the women to leave the battlefield, but Sal is one of many who ignore the order. Her boredom is broken by cannon fire as the battle begins. Kit returns to the camp, delivers the bad news to Wellington, and then is sent to help Northwood. Kit passes Jarge, who mentions that Joe Hornbeam is not “a bad officer” (672), unlike his father. Kit tries to convince his mother to flee, but she refuses. He knows better than to argue with her. By 2 pm, the allies are losing. Thousands of men are dying in the battle. The Prussians arrive, and Kit’s despair is lifted. Napoleon launches a big assault against the British, hoping to eliminate them before the Prussians can ready themselves. Kit searches for Roger but is thrown to the ground by a cannon blast. Northwood is knocked unconscious. As the battle intensifies, Kit sees Kenelm “take a bullet to the chest that looked fatal” (682). Kit enters the fray, fighting alongside Jarge. In the heat of battle, Jarge sacrifices his life to save Joe Hornbeam. As the battle draws to a close, Kit searches desperately for Roger. He finds Roger alive, and they kiss. When the battle is over, Sal searches for Jarge. She finds his body and buries him in a nearby church. She says a prayer over her husband’s grave for the second time.

Napoleon abdicates for the second time and is sent to St. Helena, a small and remote island in the mid-Atlantic. The 107th Foot Regiment returns to Kingsbridge. The Earl of Shirling returns with Jane and young Henry, but he is significantly changed due to the headwound he received during the Battle of Waterloo. Since his father is suffering, Jane asks Amos to play a more paternal role in their son’s life. Amos agrees. Hornbeam expects a “postwar boom” (694) that will benefit his business, but he worries about who will run the business when he dies. He envisions Joe to take over, since his son Howard is “not the type to run the whole enterprise” (694). However, Joe does not share his grandfather’s views. Hornbeam is horrified when Joe spends his time with a local working-class girl named Margery Reeve. He believes that the shopgirl is beneath his grandson. He experiences frequent chest pains, particularly when he thinks about Joe. When he tells Joe that Joe should not be seen with a “worker” (697), Joe tells him how his life was saved by Jarge. Hornbeam is shocked that his son was saved by one of “the worst troublemakers in Kingsbridge” (699). He has hated Jarge for years and is now conflicted about the man who saved his grandson’s life.

Roger and Kit return home together. They plan to restart their business, and to get Roger’s things, they visit the old Riddick manor. They have little money, but Amos has agreed to pay half the cost of a new loom. In the manor, they find Will living in squalor. He has sold most of the family possessions for money to drink and gamble. Will is spiteful to Kit, but Kit no longer fears him. With the help of Fanny, they find the keys to Roger’s old workshop. As they travel to the workshop, people stop Kit to ask him about his heroic actions in the battle. In the workshop, they find a hayloft that can be converted into a “love nest” (704). Hornbeam thinks obsessively about his old enemy, Jarge, sacrificing himself to save Joe’s life. He feels the need to do something for Jarge’s widow, but feels that Sal will reject him, so he gives the task to Joe. When he sits down with his grandson, he offers Joe the chance to take over the family business. Joe is noncommittal but agrees to speak to Sal. Kenelm is buried in Brussels, and Elsie feels an “almost unbearable” (706) grief. She plans to remain a widow, but in conversations with her mother, she realizes that Amos may want to marry her.

Sal rents a room by herself. She misses Jarge. Joe visits her and humbly asks if there is anything he can do to repay his debt of gratitude to her late husband. He mentions that his grandfather wants to do something for her but is too proud to ask what Sal wants. After some deliberation, Sal asks for a small shop near the mills. She wants to run her own business. Jane confronts Amos, criticizing him for not proposing to Elsie. The criticism prompts Amos to realize that he loves Elsie, but he worries that she will reject him because of the child he had through his affair with Jane. Joe visits Spade, seeking advice about the textile industry before he agrees to take over from his grandfather. Spade explains to him the benefit of trade unions and working alongside the hands, unlike his grandfather’s approach. Joe is shocked by the way his grandfather treats his workers and resolves to handle the business differently. Amos carefully discusses his situation with Elsie, asking whether she could ever “marry an adulterer” (717). Elsie assures him that she loves him, and they plan to marry. Hornbeam walks past the cathedral, feeling pain in his chest and struggling with his guilt regarding Jarge. Deep in “melancholic reflection” (719), he climbs the high steps of the cathedral. The pain worsens, and his guilt intensifies; he steps off the roof and crashes into the ground with “a mighty blow” (720). Hornbeam dies.

A general election is held, and Amos is encouraged to stand for election. By this time, he is already mayor and is too content to take on more work. Instead, he suggests that Spade seek the position. Spade wins the election and becomes the Member of Parliament for Kingsbridge. The Irish workers have fully integrated into the Kingsbridge community in the 20 years since their arrival. Sal, now running a small and successful shop, becomes close with Colin Hennesey, whose own wife has died. One night, she invites him to stay the night with her. Eventually, they are married. Henry Northwood is killed when he falls from his horse. Amos knows that Jane is not truly mourning her husband’s death; thanks to the large insurance policy on her husband’s life, she is able to move to London and live comfortably. Hal, Amos’s son with Jane, goes to Oxford University, fulfilling the dream that Amos once had. During his five years in Parliament, Spade campaigns for workers’ rights. He organizes testimonies from workers like Sal and masters like Amos to demonstrate the exploitation of the hands. Many of the most egregious laws are repealed. Will Riddick dies, so Roger becomes the squire. Roger, Kit, Sal, and Colin all move into the manor. They renovate the home, clearing out the mess left by Will. Lying in bed with Roger, Kit remembers his youth, when he thought that “the people who lived here were like gods” (734).