The Legend of Gentleman John

By TJ Nichols

Banyn, a fae, escorts the souls of children to Magh Meall, but one Christmas, he comes for a lad who isn't quite dead, and he breaks a rule rather than wait while John fights a battle he'll ultimately lose. So begins a long-running affair that crosses the border between life and death, the human and fae realms, and even oceans to strange countries with different gods and rules.

John Rourke renounced a religion that had no place for him and returned to the old ways. Convicted of theft, he is sentenced to transportation and suffers brutal punishment—until he escapes to live on his own terms as a bushranger. When vengeance against his tormentor consumes him and threatens his life, John finds he has only one holiday wish—to see his fae lover one last time.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: TJ Nichols
• Release date: Oct 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215361672

Book preview

The Legend of Gentleman John

The Legend of Gentleman John

TJ Nichols

Copyright © 2020 by TJ Nichols

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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Contents

The Legend of Gentleman John

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Historical Note

Chapter 1

Excerpt: A Summer of Smoke and Sin

Other books by TJ Nichols

About the Author

The Legend of Gentleman John

Banyn, a fae, escorts the souls of children to Magh Meall, but one Christmas, he comes for a lad who isn’t quite dead, and he breaks a rule rather than wait while John fights a battle he’ll ultimately lose. So begins a long-running affair that crosses the border between life and death, the human and fae realms, and even oceans to strange countries with different gods and rules.

John Rourke renounced a religion that had no place for him and returned to the old ways. Convicted of theft, he is sentenced to transportation and suffers brutal punishment—until he escapes to live on his own terms as a bushranger. When vengeance against his tormentor consumes him and threatens his life, John finds he has only one holiday wish—to see his fae lover one last time.

Foreword

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Acknowledgments

I’d like to thank Luke Tolvaj for doing the sensitivity read. Your comments were invaluable.

Historical Note

Tasmania, the southern island of Australia, was once known as Van Diemen’s Land. It was a penal colony, but one with the highest number of absconders. Once the convicts escaped custody, they faced a harsh and short life. Many were recaptured and either hanged or punished. Others died in the bush or from injuries. They made their living robbing mail coaches and wealthy landowners. Some made a name for themselves. While Gentleman John is fictitious, I drew on the stories of bushrangers to create him and his exploits.

Chapter 1

Van Diemen’s Land

December 31, 1818

Blood oozed between John’s fingers. The rapid beat of his heart as he ran through the dark bush wasn’t helping matters any. He paused for a moment, trying to listen for the baying of dogs over his own harsh breathing. He’d tossed his musket and opted for speed after being hit. He regretted that now, as he was alone and unarmed. He held his breath for as long as he could. His pulse pounded in his ears, blood pouring out of him like cheap moonshine.

Nothing.

Perhaps they were tending to McHugh, may he know no peace in death. He’d best be dead, or John would have to commit himself to doing some serious haunting. There was no chance he’d live to see dawn.

He peeled his hand away from his stomach. The blood was dark and thick in the starlight. The moon was barely a slice of silver. It had been the perfect night for revenge.

Satisfaction burned in him, but with each breath, the heat faded. The sting of the bullet in his gut was becoming more pressing. He leaned against a tree and lifted his shirt. A few inches to the right and it would’ve been a scratch. Damn redcoat had gotten a lucky shot. John tipped his head back.

He wanted to believe he could survive this. He’d survived worse and wore the scars, but a gut wound was a slow death for anyone. He closed his eyes. He didn’t want to die without seeing