Pinchbeck Peer Books

Book Two is now available. Cover designed by Scott Gaunt. Set in 1780, Fabius is a callow undergraduate when the family falls onto hard times – relatively speaking. He is forced out of Cambridge and becomes a Militia officer on a tiny allowance. While serving he dabbles in pugilism and shows himself handy with his fists and is well-liked. The mess of any Militia battalion is a hard-drinking establishment; while under the influence he makes a number of foolish bets, double-or-quits, and wakes up the following morning to find himself owing £512 – ten years of his allowance. Knowing that his creditor – a merchant’s son – will have no hesitation in going to law and putting him in debtor’s prison, Fabius absconds. En route to Liverpool and a ship West, Fabius meets the proprietor of a stable of prizefighters and is easily persuaded to join them as Gentleman Jim. A little of professional tuition added to his natural flair turns Fabius into an effective bareknuckle fighter. He climbs the ranks of the profession quickly and is a contender for the Championship in less than 2 years, the fights growing harder as he meets the better men. He comes to the attention of the Marquess of Mendip, a sporting man who is looking for a strong and healthy young gentleman for his own purposes. The Marquess has a daughter who is crippled by a club foot and a son who is stupid almost to the point of being simple as well as being frail. He wants to wed the daughter to a powerful, healthy man to bring stronger blood into the family. Fabius agrees, initially solely for the wealth and position he will gain. He suspects that he is not quite good enough to become Champion of England, and knows that being second-best will not make his fortune in the Ring. The first book ends after a few weeks of marriage, Fabius coming to realise that he has done very well for himself and settling into his new life. Books best read in numerical order

The Pinchbeck Peer: Book Two Fabius is enjoying married life and finds his wife a great source of wisdom. Her advice is crucial for his political ambitions. He also spends more time overseeing the Mendip estates and the couple seek a suitable bride for the hapless Cornelius. The intended marriage of Fabius’ brother, Marcus, threatens to undo all that Fabius has gained. Books best read in numerical order

It is 1789 and Fabius Verstappen, first Baron Oakham, once the pugilist Gentleman Jim, is now established in public life, a minor friend of Mr Pitt’s. His unlikely marriage continues to be a success and he is happy in it, and his poor young brother, heir to the Duke of Mendip, is now wed to a kind lady who performs her duty to the family. Europe is rapidly declining towards revolution and war, fuelled by a decade of poor harvests and increasing famine. However, England, Scotland, and Wales are enjoying a new prosperity from unprecedented growth in coal, iron, and cotton, which has enabled the bulk of the poor to earn a wage, even if only a very few shillings a week. As revolution looms across the Channel and King George wanders in and out of insanity, London, Westminster, the West Country, and Calais provide a frantic background to Fabius’ progress through his new life.

In eighteenth-century London, country gentleman, pugilist, and peer, Fabius Verstappen, first Baron Oakham, has his work cut out for him trying to restrain the increasingly outrageous Prince of Wales. Now a political aide to Mr Pitt, Fabius manoeuvres to secure votes in the House, a political game for experienced players. Surmounting assassination attempts, he arranges convenient marriages into City money, while trying to protect his own family in this dangerous and riotous city.

All is well with the world of Fabius Verstappen, Baron Oakham, once the prize-fighter Gentleman Jim. He has recovered from his setback in the world of politics and is happy in the company of his lady, the duke's daughter. Unfortunately, Fabius errs in making loans to his peers prior to the failure of the Canal Bubble in 1795 and the consequent financial collapse. Society does not approve of profiteering from the destruction of noble houses, however foolish they may have been in their speculations, and he is banished from Society. Exiled to his own estates, Fabius settles to agriculture, which he finds boring, and money-making, which is much more fun. It seems that his life is to take a new and successful turn... until tragedy strikes close to home.

Fabius Verstappen, Viscount Oakham, son to a country gentleman and once a prizefighter, comes to the end of his adventuring days. Circumstances force him to settle down – but as what? Is he to be a conventional member of fashionable Society? Or perhaps he will expand his dabbling in the new world of coal and iron and steam that is so suddenly expanding. The face of Britain is changing and Verstappen must decide whether to cling to the past or embrace what he hopes may be the future. There are risks to him and his family whichever course he takes, and he must choose whether to welcome those risks or try to flee from them. In a country where suddenly nothing is certain, what is the course of wisdom? Is he wise?

The World is turning upside down, and a few have noticed the fact. Fabius Verstappen, Lord Oakham, is now independent. The old Duke is dead and he is no longer sheltered under the wing of the Verstappen family. But he is rich, and intends to become richer. He will never attain high political office, in part because he wishes to make money, but also because of his prizefighting indiscretions. His children by the Duke’s daughter are growing up and he wishes them to become free members of the family, not constrained by their heritage into a conventional pattern. His daughter is too intelligent to become a simpering Society miss and he must help her to make a happy life. Jim, his eldest son, has the burden of inheritance to face, while young Cornelius is barely more than a little boy. They will not find it easy to evade the demands of convention in hidebound England. Britain is changing, quickly. High Society is becoming irrelevant to the nation as a whole. France responded to similar circumstances with a bloody Revolution. The actions of a few leaders will determine whether there will also be an uprising in England.

It is 1804 and Bonaparte is apparently threatening invasion across the Channel. Billy Pitt has returned to Downing Street, no more than a shadow of the man he used to be, port wine and overwork, both in massive quantities, having broken him. Fabius is called to assist his old master and displays his familiar ruthless perception of his duty, establishing himself again as a valuable servant of the State. The family is growing up and England is in a period of rapid change, the old certainties lost, the new not yet established. It is a time for the clever man, and occasionally woman, to flourish.