Blue Baccy — Catherine Cookson

The year was 1851 and Rory McAlister was learning the wheelwright's trade in a small town in the north of England. At fifteen, Rory could think of no finer way of life than the one he led as Mr. Cornwall's apprentice. Mr. and Mrs. Cornwall treated him almost as a son. His own family lived nearby and he was able to visit them occasionaly and help them out with his wages. Everyone in the village had a friendly word for him. And -- especially -- there was Lily. But the simple pattern of Rory's life was suddenly shattered. Mr. Cornwallis was injured on the eve of his yearly journey to the West Country, where it was vblieved he went to visit his mother, and Rory was asked to make the journey in his place. But what was the mysterious Blue Baccy the Cornwallises had been discussing? "You'll remember this night for as long as you live, boy," said Mr. Cornwallis. And Rory would remember -- the Isle of Jersey, long night hours at sea, the sound of shots, the sight of death, the taste of fear. He would never forget the new truths revealed through his strange journey -- some of them difficult to accept -- about those he admired and trusted most. But above all he would learn what Blue Baccy was; what it meant to those who risked their lives for it -- and to his master and himself.