Master of His Fate: The gripping new Victorian epic from the author of A Woman of Substance
The gripping, epic new historical family saga from the author of A Woman of Substance.From Victorian London to the vibrant port cities of England and France, from gracious stately homes in Gloucestershire to the decadence of Paris, Master of his Fate launches an unforgettable new historical series.London 1884: Queen Victoria is Empress of India and Britain is at its peak of worldwide power.James Falconer works as a barrow boy in a flourishing London market owned by Henry Malvern. But James hungers for more. Turning away from family tradition, he dreams of building an empire of stores like Fortnum and Mason’s and believes that Henry, along with his daughter and heir Alexis, could offer him a way to climb beyond his beginnings.But tragedy and betrayal threaten the dreams of both James and Alexis – and jeopardise everything they hold dear…
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First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2018
Copyright © Barbara Taylor Bradford 2018
Cover design by Claire Ward © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2018
Jacket photograph © Lee Avison/Trevillion Images
Barbara Taylor Bradford asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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Source ISBN: 9780008242404
Ebook Edition © November 2018 ISBN: 9780008242428
Version: 2018-10-30
This book is for my husband Bob,
my hero, who has always given me the freedom and space to write
despite whatever else has been happening.
With my love and gratitude always.
Contents
COPYRIGHT
DEDICATION
CHARACTERS
PART ONE:
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
PART TWO: NEW HORIZONSLondon/Kent 1887
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
PART THREE: UNIQUE RELATIONSHIPSKingston Upon Hull/London 1888
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
PART FOUR: THE ROAD TO DESTINYHull/London 1888
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
PART FIVE: THE WAY IT ISLondon/Paris 1888–9
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
CHAPTER FIFTY
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
KEEP READING …
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BOOKS BY BARBARA TAYLOR BRADFORD
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
THE FALCONERS
Philip Henry Rosewood Falconer, founder of the dynasty; a head butler.
Esther Marie Falconer, his wife and co-founder of the dynasty; a head housekeeper.
Their sons
Matthew, his eldest son and heir; a stall owner at the Malvern Market.
George, a noted journalist on The Chronicle daily newspaper.
Harry, a chef and owner of a café, the Rendezvous.
Their grandchildren (Matthew’s offspring)
James Lionel, an ambitious young businessman on the rise.
Rosalind, known as Rossi, a seamstress.
Edward Albert, assistant to his father on the stalls.
Their daughter-in-law
Maude Falconer, Matthew’s wife and mother of his children; a seamstress.
THE VENABLES
Clarence Venables, Esther Falconer’s brother-in-law, great-uncle of James Falconer. Owner of a shipping company in Hull.
Marina Venables, Clarence’s wife and younger sister of Esther Falconer. Great-aunt of James Falconer. A noted artist.
Their children
William, eldest son and heir, working at the Hull shipping company.
Albert, second son, working at the Hull shipping company.
Their daughter-in-law
Anne Venables, Albert’s wife.
THE MALVERNS
Henry Ashton Malvern, owner of the Malvern Company, a big business enterprise and property company.
Alexis Malvern, his only child and heir; a partner in the business.
Joshua Malvern, Henry’s brother and business partner in London.
Percy Malvern, his cousin who runs the wine business in Le Havre.
THE TREVALIANS
Sebastian Trevalian, head of the Trevalian private bank.
His daughters
Claudia, his eldest daughter and heir.
Lavinia, a debutante.
Marietta, a debutante.
His sister
Dorothea Trevalian Rayburn, an art collector and member of the bank’s board.
