Under the Broad Arrow

Book excerpt: "Under the Broad Arrow" is a riveting tale depicting life during the slave trade era in the eighteenth century. It revolves around the two main characters John Fitch and Jane New, with seemingly intertwined lives. The two are first married under very dubious circumstances in which John, an older naval officer with good family connections hopes to exploit the younger Jane, whose family history is nothing to speak of. When Jane is convicted of a crime, her 'husband' finds a loophole to disavow their marriage and Jane is shipped off to the colonies as a slave where she finds a new life and remarries to James New. But trouble is in the offing when a chance encounter of the two former lovers occurs. One that is sure to reignite the bitter feelings of the past...