In 1777 Captain Jamie Skoyles is part of a British army intent on destroying the American rebels and ending their resistance once and for all. Under the command of General Burgoyne, a huge force sets out from Canada but it is soon handicapped by hot weather, debilitating disease and a series of costly military blunders. By the time they reach Saratoga for the decisive battle, they have been taught to respect their enemy.Skoyles is a loyal career soldier but he plans to live in America after the war has been won, no matter which flag flies over it. Embroiled in a dangerous love affair with a woman betrothed to a fellow-officer, he also has a long-standing friendship with a key member of the rebel cause. In the heat of battle, his loyalties are put under severe pressure and he narrowly escapes death at the hands of his love rival.Filled with action, tension and suspense, this is a stirring novel about a nation's struggle for independence, blending fact and fiction to bring the...

Imprisoned in Boston with the defeated army, Captain Jamie Skoyles escapes with Elizabeth Rainham, the woman he loves, and, after a series of adventures, reaches Philadelphia where the British army has camped for the winter. Washington's men, by contrast, have to endure the freezing cold of Valley Forge and are dogged by a lack of food and other resources.Working as a spy for the British, Skoyles gets inside the American camp and courts all kinds of dangers. His spirits are lifted when Elizabeth joins him in Philadelphia but another new arrival is less welcome. Major Harry Featherstone is the man from whom Skoyles took Elizabeth. Bent on revenge, the major contrives to have Skoyles arrested on a charge of treason and he languishes in prison to await a court martial. The only way that Skoyles can escape is to rely on help from the enemy. In a tense climax, he is confronted with the biggest decision of his life.Valley Forge is a compelling study of some of the darker aspects of war...