Garland of Straw

The marriage of a well-bred Royalist lady and an illegitimate Roundhead Colonel is less a match made in heaven than a union doomed to hell. Unfortunately, Sir Robert Brandon's last will and testament leaves Venetia Clifford and Gabriel Brandon with little choice in the matter - deeply though they both resent it.
Their tempestuous relationship is reflected in the events buffeting the nation as England slides into a second Civil War. While Gabriel continues to serve in the New Model Army, Venetia engages in clandestine activities on behalf of the King; and both their lives are complicated still further when Gabriel's half-brother - to whom Venetia was formerly betrothed - returns from exile.
While the Army and Parliament argue over the fate of the King, Gabriel realises that he has a dangerous enemy. And as events gather pace, bringing the King to trial, the tangled web of danger and deceit surrounding both Gabriel and Venetia slowly tightens its grip.