The Apology

Imagine if the ownership of all the land claimed by the Vatican was suddenly in question! This story begins over 400 years ago, a time when man, woman and child were in constant danger of being executed for so-called crimes they did not commit or simply for non-conformist religious beliefs. The story is set in 16th century Brugges and takes us to Elizabethan England. It follows the lives of a family, the Auberts, who have suffered greatly through the consequences of the Roman Inquisition and their rise to glory in spite of Elizabethan rule. It talks about religious persecution and the genocide of the time. The novel is divided into two books, historic and present. Book 11, set in the present day, brings us right up to date with a thwarted terrorist threat at the London Olympics, then links back into the past as Mark Albert, member of the MI6, traces his ancestry and cannot believe what he finds. 1525 - 1533: Friar Godfrey is vehemently set against his people. They lose their lands and most valuable possessions but unbeknown to them, they have a secret weapon in Duke Jacob de Beckel, supposedly the Friar's ally, but little does the evil Friar know that the Duke is a descendent of the Grand Master of the Knights Templar and now Master in Charge of the Order of Templars. 1569 - 1580: When Pope Pius V excommunicates Queen Elizabeth, Marcus Aubert, joins the Order of Templars and trains to become an assassin, working underground for Queen Elizabeth's cause to bring peace to Protestant England. He lives in the town of Baldock where he meets the lovely Ellyn, a tavern worker living in fear of her rapacious uncle. What Marcus doesn't realise is that his cousin, Daniel, also has eyes for Ellyn. Intertwined with their rivalry and efforts to win Ellyn's love, we embark on a crusade around England where political and religious wars are brewing and people on both sides are thirsty for blood. The commoner wants revenge, their lands and property re-instated, the Order of Templars is on a mission to achieve just that. CUT TO 2012: When Mark Albert receives a mysterious box from his recently deceased grandfather it sends him delving into his ancestral past right back to the 16th century. As a desensitised Telco worker, no-one has the first clue about his SAS background and life within the British MI6. Torn between saving the London Olympics from a major terrorist attack and fulfilling his grandad's wishes, Mark begins to research a list of curious names his grandfather had bequeathed. He seeks the assistance of his friend, ex-Navy Seal, Mark Finch (Birdy). Together their search leads them to the Grand Master of the Masons in New York and what they begin to uncover is momentous. Mark's ancestor, Pieter Aubert, was Grand Master of the Order of Templars and fought for justice for the ordinary man. Lists of thousands of names are carbon dated by Isabelle, a compassionate pro-activist who is determined to follow through on her fight for social injustice. As the threat against the London Olympics heightens, Isabelle, Mark and Birdy embark on a world-wide journey tracking down the rightful owners some of the most sought after real estate in the world, uncovering the descendants of Pieter and other members of the Order. With enough earth shattering information and with the help of his cousin, a litigation lawyer in New York, they begin a class action that will shake the world. But the Vatican has other ideas. Through the influential avenues of New York, to the conservative corridors of London, to Germany to Somalia to inside the Vatican - this is a story that will have readers reeling from the startling revelations and enthralled from page to page.