From the Book's Back Cover
Doctor Margaret's Sea Chest, is Book I of a trilogy of historical
fiction set during India's struggle for freedom-Azadi-from the
British Raj. The Books weave a tale of international intrigue,
conflict, and poignant love between interesting characters of that
era.
In 1965 an over 100-year-old sea chest, believed to be that of an
American doctor, Margaret, is discovered in the storage room of a
hospital in Delhi. Another American doctor, Sharif, who originally
hails from Delhi and is on contract at the hospital, is entrusted
with the task of locating the mysterious woman's relatives and
returning her trunk. Sharif tracks down Margaret's descendants in
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada. Her diaries, and other artefacts-such as
the Kingdom of Jhansi's crown-are found in the coffer.
Margaret, born in New Jersey to a Scottish Presbyterian clerical
family, achieves her heart's desire, in 1850, to become one of the
first North American women doctors. She marries her Canadian
cousin, Robert, and travels with him to serve in the Crimean war of
1854. In Crimea, they have to not only face hardships of battles,
but also endure other conflicts.
From events leading to and after the infamous Charge of the Light
Brigade, Margaret meets a Russian officer, Count Nicholai. The
surprise ending of Book I, leaves Margaret in a quandary, whether
to seek vengeance or to continue on with her journey to India. In
the end, she believes she has made the right decision.
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"[Waheed's] take on the Indian Mutiny from an Indian point of view
is fascinating to the Western reader and should be well received…"
- Ian Walker, author of LOCA