 |
| |
 |
|
Click for larger images |
| |
In
1644, during the revolt of the English Parliament and Oliver Cromwell's army
against the tyrannical rule of King Charles I, a baby wrapped in a blanket
on which the name "Amber" is sewn, is left at the front door of a Puritan
farmer by a fleeing nobleman, who is then killed by his pursuers. By
1660, after the death of Cromwell and the restoration of the House of
Stuart, in the person of Charles II, Amber, now an attractive young woman,
is betrothed by her ward, Matt Goodgroome, to a farmer. She rebels
against the match, as she does not want to remain in a small village her
whole life, and becomes enamored of Lord Bruce Carlton, a soldier for hire
who stops at the village. Although he refuses to take her with him to
London, she follows him and his best friend, Lord Harry Almsbury and, in
London, she and Bruce become lovers.
Because Charles believes that Bruce is pursuing his mistress,
Barbara Palmer, Countess Castelmaine, with whom Bruce earlier had a romance,
Charles provides Bruce two ships with which to establish a privateer
enterprise and share the profits he makes robbing foreign treasure ships.
When Amber learns that Bruce has gone to sea, she vows to use her wiles to
achieve a social level above that of Bruce so that he will want her.
She is soon cheated out of the money Bruce left her by a
crooked investor and, although pregnant, is sent to prison on a false
charge. In prison, she meets Black Jack Mallard, an infamous
highwayman and, seeing that he is attracted to her, convinces him to take
her with him when he escapes, so that her baby will be born outside of
prison. Their escape is arranged by Mother Red Cap, the head of Jack's
gang, who puts Amber to work after she gives birth, luring men so that the
gang can rob them. Jack is killed by the King's men during one robbery
attempt, and Amber avoids capture by hiding in the home of Rex Morgan, a
captain of the king's guard. Morgan uses his influence to obtain Amber
work as an actress, and she raises enough money to get her son, named Bruce,
from Mother Red Cap and put him up in a nice country home.
Amber
lives with Morgan but, when he proposes, she refuses. While Morgan is
in Wales, Charles sees Amber onstage and invites her to dine with him.
Amber turns him down, however, when she learns that Harry has brought Bruce
to the theater. She takes him to see their son, hoping he will want to
settle down with her, but he plans to return to sea, as he intensely
dislikes the goings on at court. When Morgan, having returned, finds
them together, he challenges Bruce to a duel, saying that Amber is his
fiancée. Disgusted at Amber, Bruce accepts but tries to convince
Morgan to end the duel after the first blood has been drawn. Morgan
refuses and Bruce kills him, then angrily berates Amber when she tries to
comfort him.
After Bruce departs England again, Amber marries the elderly
widowed Earl of Radcliffe in order to become a countess, hoping that the
title will interest Bruce. She diverts their wedding party to London,
where the Black Plague is spreading, when she learns that Bruce's ship has
docked there. She finds him as he is about to succumb to the plague
and struggles to save his life, first killing a mercenary nurse and then
lancing a dangerous boil on his chest. Bruce recovers, but Radcliffe
tracks him down and, when Bruce learns that Amber is his wife, he leaves for
Virginia.
As a devastating fire sweeps through London, Charles attempts
to seduce Amber at a ball at Whitehall. Radcliffe spirits her home,
however, and locks her in her room so she cannot return to the ball.
That night, as fire destroys Radcliffe Hall, Radcliffe threatens to send
Amber to the country for good, then struggles with her, before a disgruntled
servant hits him and throws him into the conflagration to his death.
Amber soon becomes Charles' mistress. When Bruce and
his new wife Corinna visit from Virginia, he tries to convince Amber, who
believes he still loves her, to let him adopt their child and take him back
to Virginia, as he despises the "sick age" and court life to which the boy
will be exposed. Amber invites Corinna to dine with her and Charles
and retires, leaving them alone, then writes a note to Bruce about his
wife's whereabouts. Charles, however, deduces Amber's scheme and
allows Corinna to leave, her virtue unscathed. He then tells Amber to
leave because her actions, which have made him realize that she truly loves
Bruce, have shattered the illusion of happiness he had created because he
could not find love as a king. When Bruce comes for the child and
Amber sees that the boy, who is bored with court life, is excited about
going, she gives him up and sadly watches them depart. |
_01.jpg){kind=small}
_01.jpg)
_01.jpg){kind=small}
