Eternal Liaisons , livre ebook

Eternal Liaisons
Steven Brockington
Austin Macauley Publishers
2019-09-30
Eternal Liaisons About the Author About the Book Dedication Copyright © Steven Brockington (2019) Acknowledgement Synopsis Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16
About the Author
Steven C. Brockington, engineer and author, was born in Brisbane in 1962. The inspiration of the novel came to him during a strange meeting with a light. Thus, involved spiritually with numerous historic events, he decided to describe them as they were shown to him, and are so here given to us as inestimable lessons of history from a supernatural perspective.
The author lives at present in Australia, works as a project manager of construction and continues to write his stories. He has also had a long and rewarding artistic association with France, writing and recording songs, painting portraits of famous personages and writing intriguing poetry with enchanting themes that bind love to spirituality.
About the Book
’Brighton Kent, an Australian archaeologist, discovers an ancient historical manuscript in a tomb in Syria, bordering Israel, which reveals the writings of Christ. But this manuscript has a strange power: Christ appears personally to Brighton. Following this ecstasy experience, Brighton transmigrates to France of 1789 on the eve of the birth of revolutionary hostilities. Apparently supported by the divine will but barely understanding what is expected of him, Brighton falls in love with Queen Marie-Antoinette, all the while distinguishing his fame through various 'miracles'…
‘A fascinating intrigue that relives a famous episode of the history of France by leaning on the supernatural. The great names of history are fleshed out and become thereby even more human and more charming. The author takes an original approach to show us our history through the eyes of a foreigner, and perhaps this is the best way of understanding it. A history lesson led by the beating drum…’
Paris Journal Review.
Dedication
I wish to dedicate this book to my father, Thomas Courtney Brockington; and my mother, Joyce May Brockington – may their souls rest in peace and love in heaven – wherein all who follow their divine purposes shall eternally abide.
Copyright © Steven Brockington (2019)
The right of Steven Brockington to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528940429 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781528940450 (Hardback)
ISBN 9781528970471 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2019)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgement
First and foremost, I wish to acknowledge Véronique Pierre who had tirelessly and relentlessly aided me, in fact finding much of the French historical information contained in this novel. She was also very helpful in providing an overview for many of the scenes related to 18th-century women, i.e., their thought processes and particularly their etiquette. Without Véronique, who shared with me the rigours of writing, her dedication to a French translation etc., this great work would not have been possible.
I would also like to acknowledge Austin Macauley Publishers for bravely taking on this project. And particularly for their artwork of the cover; at first, I wondered how the Eiffel Tower might reconcile with the 18th century, but then I also thought of the symbolism involved in all things French, and the Eiffel Tower is inescapable as that symbol. Indeed, it offers a timeless and romantic edge, as does Eternal Liaisons . Perfect! Thank you, Austin Macauley!
And lastly, I take full responsibility for any historical and philosophical errors contained herein. Whilst I have carefully and cautiously worked through most issues, there may be a few inaccuracies that have escaped my notice. As such, I trust these are minimal and reserve the right to further edit these out should another opportunity to do so presents itself.
Synopsis
‘Brighton Kent, an Australian archaeologist, discovers an ancient historical manuscript in a tomb in Syria, bordering Israel, which reveals the writings of Christ. But this manuscript has a strange power: Christ appears personally to Brighton. Following this ecstasy experience, Brighton transmigrates to France of 1789 on the eve of the birth of revolutionary hostilities. Apparently supported by the divine will but barely understanding what is expected of him, Brighton falls in love with Queen Marie-Antoinette, all the while distinguishing his fame through various ’miracles’…
‘A fascinating intrigue that relives a famous episode of the history of France by leaning on the supernatural. The great names of history are fleshed out and become thereby even more human and more charming. The author takes an original approach to show us our history through the eyes of a foreigner, and perhaps this is the best way of understanding it. A history lesson led by the beating drum…’
Paris Journal Review.
An intriguing and thought-provoking narrative full of fantastic and mysterious events that will leave readers questioning phenomena which can’t be explained. Many readers will identify with Brighton’s need for understanding the unknown as we are all looking for the answer to the long-asked question ‘why’? The author brilliantly pulls the reader into to Brighton’s spiritual and emotional journey that one cannot help but feel connected and invested in the characters’ life. Each passing chapter will have readers stopping to reflect on their own lives, and themselves, as they take a moment to look at life through someone else’s eyes.
Readers will be absorbed and lost in the rich and colourful text as they are transported on an unforeseen adventure through historical events. The vivid and captivating prose paints a beautiful picture which will leave readers feeling, as Brighton did early in the story, as they are witnessing the events transpire in real life. The author ultimately explores the idea that there is a plan for all of us, although we may not understand why we must go through certain events in our lives. Readers will relate to Brighton’s questioning why he must witness such painful events which he is powerless to change. Such a theme is one every reader can attest to as we have all faced events in our lives that we don’t understand why we must experience them, why we must suffer as it sometimes feels.
The story touches on several important themes from unexpected relationships which shape a person and the decisions they make, the profound twists and turns of life, and facing difficult choices that can change the outcome of our lives. The optimistic notion that we can turn negative events around, make changes when all seems lost or doomed, and essentially, live happily ever after is an idealistic concept we all wish to see as a reality as life can sometimes be too hard to bear. This stimulating and aspirational narrative may have readers thinking, ‘If you could go back in time, what significant event(s) would you change?’
« Il est aussi facile de rêver un livre qu’il est difficile de le faire . »
“It is so easy to dream a book that is difficult to make.”
Honoré de Balzac
Chapter 1
The night was moonless, clear, when a 4WD was driven along a gravelled road and rounded into an ancient tomb-site. The headlights lit up a sign, revealing a faded word ‘Maiden’ hand-printed in Arabic and English. The sign darkened again as the vehicle flashed past, and the taillights narrowed in the distance then braked to bright red. A man stepped out of the vehicle, opened a rear door and pulled out a couple of items, then walked to the front of the vehicle.
Standing tall, with the headlights blazing on him, Brighton Kent cut an imposing figure. Holding a spade in one hand and a torch in the other, a bright orange knapsack slung over his shoulder, like a mountain climber who holds the summit within his sight, with an air of excitement he probed the ragged shadows of a nearby cutting with his torch. A few rocks to climb over, then a drop and into a narrow cavity at the base of a trench he had excavated a few nights before, and he would accomplish all that he never imagined possible.
Like in a dream, all conspired to bring him to this spot on the outskirts of Damascus, in war-torn Syria. First, there was a comet that slowly plummeted in the night sky heading directly at him, its tail receding behind it high in the distance. In tune with cosmic events, and with only a compass and a map, he curiously tracked the comet’s direction in a straight line from his standing position and found that the line intersected the ancient tomb-site, ‘Maiden’. And second, during his initial exploration of this tomb-site unseasonable rains washed away what appeared to be an unmarked tomb entrance at the bottom of a cutting. The timing of this discovery could not have been more fortuitous. For two years, he had worked at a dam project on the northern borders of Israel as a construction engineer, and in his spare time, delved in archaeology. When nearing the time of project completion, in rapid succession these two chance events occurred. And so, when he clapped his eyes for the first time on the unmarked tomb entrance with only a week to spare before he had to leave Israel, he just knew that something