
In 1652 Woodstock's damaged church filled for thanksgiving after Worcester, its old worshippers displaced by civil war. The pulpit belongs to the minister charged with this congregation, not the loudest armed visitor. You step into this one-chapter preview with Alice Lee at the center, where choices turn on the people, promises, and pressure already in the room. Joceline asked only for time to prepare the lodging, while his face offered no simple reason. The chapter closes on a continuation question rather than resolving the novel's larger arc.
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