Priscilla Royal
When one of her company falls ill on a return journey to Tyndal, Prioress Eleanor accepts lodging at a nearby manor. Master Stevyn's wife is having an affair with the groom while a local widow acts more the lady of the manor than the lady herself. His eldest son and spouse are obsessed with sin and heaven while his youngest son, bound for the Church, unexpectedly returns with more interest in lute playing than the priesthood. It is no surprise
...Baron Herbert's return from crusade should have been a joyous occasion. Instead, he grows increasingly morose, withdraws from his family, and refuses to share his wife's bed. When his sons begin to die in strange accidents, some ask whether Herbert harbors a dark sin for which God has cursed him.
Then the baron suddenly sends for Sir Hugh of Wynethorpe, begging his friend to bring spiritual and secular healers but giving little explanation
...A nun and a monk defy death and dishonor at her family's Welsh fortress...
In the winter of 1271, Death stalks the corridors of Wynethorpe Castle on the Welsh border. When the Grim Reaper touches the beloved grandson of the castle lord, Baron Adam sends for his daughter, Prioress Eleanor of Tyndal, and her sub-infirmarian, Sister Anne, to save the child with prayers and healing talents. Escorting them to the remote fortress is Brother Thomas,
..."Royal amplifies and deepens her series characters in the service of a clever plot that elevates her work to the top rank of historical mystery writers." —Publishers Weekly Starred Review for Satan's Lullaby, eleventh in a medieval mystery series recommended by Sharon Kay Penman and compared to Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfaels
A royal birth, a nobleman's death, a scarlet woman's murder...
In March 1279, Edward I
...2018 Lefty Award nominee for Best Historical Mystery Novel
In the winter of 1282, snow and ice ravage East Anglia while Prioress Eleanor awaits the decision of her young maid, Gracia, found starving on the streets some years ago, whether to take vows or to leave Tyndal Priory to make her way in the world.
But a far greater problem arrives at the priory gate. Seven abbots are riding to meet a papal legate in Norfolk. This is not
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