For the Master's Sake: A Story of the Days of Queen Mary

"For the Master's Sake: A Story of the Days of Queen Mary" by Emily Sarah Holt is a historical novel written in the late 19th century. The story is set in 16th-century London during a period of intense religious conflict following the rise of a Catholic Queen, Mary I, and the ensuing persecution of Protestants. The narrative primarily revolves around Agnes Stone, a young orphaned girl living under the harsh regime of a bitter guardian, Mistress Winter, who embodies the oppressive societal norms of the time. The opening of the novel introduces the turbulent atmosphere of religious strife and the everyday lives of ordinary citizens trying to navigate their beliefs amid persecution. Agnes, who has been raised in a hostile environment, finds solace in the revolutionary ideas she hears from a passionate preacher named John Laurence. His messages of God's love and the rejection of traditional rituals spark a profound transformation in her outlook on faith and self-worth. As Agnes grapples with her harsh realities, including her drudgery under Mistress Winter and the moral quandaries imposed by her beliefs, she is gradually drawn toward a more personal understanding of faith that defies the oppressive structures around her. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Emily Sarah Holt (1836–1893) was an English novelist. She was born at Stubbylee, Bacup, in Lancashire, 25 April 1836. She was the eldest daughter of John Holt whose wife Judith was the 3rd daughter of James Mason of Greens. It is said she was educated at Oxford. In late 1893 when at Harrogate, she became ill and went to her brother in Balham (London), where she died on Christmas Day.