Author Lynne Golding's books The Innocent and The Beleaguered are part of the series Beneath The Alders. The series tells the story of Jessie Stephens and her family; the inquisitive girl who becomes a bright modern woman; the grandfather who built the townâs finest churches and homes; the brother who in the space of a year vied for the Mann Cup in Vancouver with the Brampton Excelsiors lacrosse team and for military victory in Greece with the Canadian Expeditionary Force; a zany aunt who chose to live as a single woman in Toronto rather than adhere to the dictates of Brampton society; a sister whose only chance for love was put asunder by the bigotry of the time; a strict father who infamously lost the stature he so long desired; and a devoted mother.