Beyond The Darkened Forest

An historical novel based around two main characters, Gumshu and Grundwell, who are
born into humble beginnings and then rise to become heads of highly successful business
empires in the coal and woollen industries.
Set in and around the Forest of Dean in the English county of Gloucestershire in the early
1600s, the story also gets a strong maritime fl avour through the introduction of the two
as evolving ship owners whose vessels ply the southern coasts of England, Wales, Ireland,
and beyond.
The opening chapters recount the secretive and bizarre circumstances surrounding their
birth; the emergence of the two from childhood through to the time of their marriages to
Maisey and Sophie, together with a traumatic incident that triggers personal revelations,
with the most shocking of consequences.
The commercial progression and fi nancial successes in the middle of the novel are interspaced
with adventure, drama, passion, humour, love, and poignant intimate moments
for the two men, their families, and the peripheral characters that emerge with the development
of the story.
The ensuing chapters narrate a near-catastrophic fi nancial collapse of one of the businesses,
the Spinning Wheel, whilst the coal business of Hawk Mines goes from strength to
strength under Gumshu and his eldest daughters stewardship, supervised by the sensual
but intuitive Maisey.
The slightly mythical closure of the book introduces younger characters that take the
story forward, whilst at the same time disclosing a highly emotional discovery to the two
central characters.