&quot;The Trumpet-Major&quot;, first published in 1880, is Thomas Hardy&#39;s seventh novel &mdash; a historical and pastoral romance set in and around the seaside resort of Budmouth (Weymouth) during the Napoleonic Wars.<br /><br />Our heroine, a graceful and charming young woman, Anne Garland, lives quietly in a rural community deep in the English countryside. However, the arrival of several regiments preparing for an expected invasion brings colour and chaos to the county.<br />Anne is pursued by three suitors: John Loveday, the trumpet-major in a British regiment, honest and loyal; his brother Robert, a merchant seaman and womaniser, and Festus Derriman, the cowardly son of the local squire.&nbsp;<br />Set at the time of the Napoleonic wars, this is the author&#39;s only historical novel, and unusually for Hardy&#39;s books, some of the characters live happily ever after.