Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England All's Well Alice's Victory By Emily Sarah Holt ________________________________________________________________________ This book is set in the sixteenth century, at the beginning of the Reformation. The action is in the Weald of Kent, a hugely forested area that extended as far as Hampshire. The family at the centre of the story had been converted to Protestantism, but still outwardly clung to Catholicism. This meant that the local priest, through hearing confessions, knew something of what was going on, and carried the information to the Bishop. One of the younger women of the family had been particularly advanced in her Protestant action and beliefs. She is taken before the Bishop, and is condemned to jail, where she is very badly treated, sleeping on straw, without change of clothing, and fed only on bread and water. The place where she was kept was changed for the better, after she had been brought for further interview before the Bishop. But this was only because she was to be burnt alive, in the manner of Holy Church of those days. A moving story that makes a good audiobook, of little more than 7 hours' duration. NH ________________________________________________________________________ ALL'S WELL ALICE'S VICTORY BY EMILY SARAH HOLT CHAPTER ONE. FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS. "Give you good-morrow, neighbour! Whither away with that great fardel [Bundle], prithee?" "Truly, Mistress, home to Staplehurst, and the fardel holdeth broadcloth for my lads' new jerkins." The speakers were two women, both on the younger side of middle age, who met on the road between Staplehurst and Cranbrook, the former coming towards Cranbrook and the latter from it. They were in the midst of that rich and beautiful tract of country known as the Weald of Kent, once the eastern part of the great Andredes Weald, a vast forest which in Saxon days stretched from Kent to the border of Hampshire. There was still, in 1556, much of the forest about the Weald, and even yet it is a well-wooded part of the country, the oak being its principal tree, though the beech sometimes grows to an enormous size. Trees of the Weald were sent to Rome for the building of Saint Peter's. "And how go matters with you, neighbour?" asked the first speaker, whose name was Alice Benden. "Well, none so ill," was the reply. "My master's in full work, and we've three of our lads at the cloth-works. We're none so bad off as some." "I marvel how it shall go with Sens Bradbridge, poor soul! She'll be bad off enough, or I err greatly." "Why, how so, trow? I've not heard what ails her." "Dear heart! then you know not poor Benedict is departed?" "Eh, you never mean it!" exclaimed the bundle-bearer, evidently shocked. "Why, I reckoned he'd taken a fine turn toward recovery. Well, be sure! Ay, poor Sens, I'm sorry for her."