Pages: 697
World War One, France, 1915: Serjeant Jan Willem Prinsloo crawls through the stinking mud of no-man’s-land, leading a night raid on the German trenches. As if the German artillery and machine guns are not enough, Jan Willem’s commanding officer, Captain Russell Stanley, is trying to settle an old score and determined to get him killed.
Jan Willem lives in two worlds. His heart is with his wife, Sarah, his children and friends at his country estate Rushden Abbey, in England, while his body is in France trying to survive and keep his men alive.
Captain Russell Stanley, thwarted in his ambitions by the unwanted arrival of Jan Willem in his life, works on exacting his revenge on Jan Willem and the young men of the estate, who have followed him into battle.
The former monk, soldier and wily poacher, De Costa, is trying hard to protect the Rushden estate and watch out for Jan Willem’s family while he is away, but ruthless poachers, who will kill if necessary, have their eyes on the estate’s deer and salmon. And one of the poachers holds a grudge against Jan Willem, intent that Sarah will pay for this.
A mysterious old tramp presently walks the land, searching for the man in the wide-brimmed hat, the man, who destroyed his life and caused the death of his wife.
These lives are on paths that will intersect, in what may decide the fate of all those who live at Rusden Abbey.
From the trenches of France, and the slaughter of the battle of the Somme, to the forests and fields of Rushden Abbey, the saga of Jan Willem continues.
The Colour of Mud at Night is the sequel to Catch the Sun.
