The Moneylender's Daughter

This is the sequel to The House of Windjammer which was a well-written and exciting historical adventure, and follows in its footsteps. Adam Windjammer sails on the Draco to try to find out what happened to his uncle Lucien after the disintegration of the family business and Adam’s father’s death. Jade van Helsen, the moneylender’s daughter of the title, who inadvertently brought down the House of Windjammer, is desperate for her father’s love and approval, neither of which is forthcoming. Jade wants to escape the marriage her father has arranged for her, and tries to run away. Her story and Adam’s run in tandem, hers in Amsterdam and his on the high seas. There are pirates, a Spanish man o’war and dark deeds in the banking circles of Amsterdam. Jade discovers her father is being set up in revenge for his earlier action against a rich merchant and all comes to an exciting denouement at Jade’s wedding. The story takes a while to get going and does not stand alone, but once under way becomes a compelling yarn. Adam, 16 years old, becomes a man while saving his family fortune, but it is Jade, labouring under the yoke of being a female in the male dominated society of 17th-century Holland, who is the dominant character. The story effortlessly imparts much detail of life at sea and on land, covering the exploration of the Americas and the trading that made Amsterdam so important. Amid the dark Dutch houses and alleyways of Amsterdam Jade seeks her future, aware of her attraction to and for Adam, but also finds herself, perhaps a modern heroine, but one that will appeal.