Not Without Mercy: The Black Death

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The Black Death€"the first volume in the series Not Without Mercy€"reveals the story based on historical events, of William Beorn, a successful merchant and ship builder in Bristol England in 1348 who finds himself at the dawn of the world€s most perilous outbreak, the Black Plague. William struggles to save his wife Jillian, their adopted son Michael and the rest of his family, and friends from the inevitable devastation of Bristol and the probability of becoming one of the casualties of the plague which took the lives of twenty five million people, over one third of Europe€s population. William and Jillian had been married for ten years but Jillian had not been able to conceive a child. Jillian was a kind and loving person who was admired and respected by the staff on the estate and friends and associates in the community. William was the love of her life--and she was his. Both were faithful believers of God, educated by Monks in their youth. Their greatest desire was to bring a child into the world. William worked hard promoting his ship building business in Bristol, and his reputation as a fair and honest business man who built one of the highest quality products had grown throughout most of Europe. One afternoon after finishing some business in the city he overheard the Sheriff telling a twelve year old street orphan by the name of Michael who had been caught swindling money in a shell game that he would be sending him to an orphanage in London. William intervened and offered to take the boy home with him. William took Michael home and introduced him to Jillian. Over time they grew close to the boy and eventually adopted him. Michael was strong and intelligent and a quick learner who was soon accepted by all as a part of the family. As the years went by Michael€s confidence in his abilities and his place in the family grew. Everything changed four years later with the announcement of Jillian that God had placed a child in her womb; a son€"a first born son. Michael€s insecurities began to multiply when Lucas came in to the world, followed by a little sister, Sarah, two years later. Although William and Jillian continued to love Michael and had always considered him their oldest son, his insecurities grew and played an increasing role in his life and the lives€ of others. Through a series of ill-fated events including the death of a good friend, Michael began to doubt his faith in God and his place in the family. But his greatest challenge, the greatest test of love, loyalty and faith in God came to him, William and Jillian the day a ship with plague infested sailors sailed into the Bristol harbor. As the plague began to take the lives of many of the unsuspecting residents of Bristol William decided it was time to send his family to the safety of Jillian€s mother€s estate in the countryside of Cardiff wales. This fateful decision would change all of their lives forever. The Black Plague caused a moral malaise throughout the land that grew greed, selfishness, insecurity, fear, brutality and wickedness. It caused the fearful to become faithless and the faithful to become fearless. Each struggled with the adversity and uncertainty differently, for some it was the end, but for others like William it was the beginning as they discovered that God had left them Not Without Mercy.