Book description
In the autumn of 1523, Roger Shallot, self-proclaimed physician, rogue,
charlatan and secret emissary of King Henry VIII, has nothing to do. His
master, Benjamin Daunbey, has been sent to Italy on a diplomatic
mission, leaving him in charge of their manor outside Ipswich. Shallot,
forbidden both to practise the art of medicine and to approach the
beautiful Miranda, takes to reading. Discovering the potential wealth
which can be accrued by the finding and selling of true relics, he goes
in search of his own. Almost immediately he is in trouble - and in
prison. Rescued by the return of his master and the influence of
Cardinal Wolsey, Shallot finds himself at court, where he is ordered by
the King and Cardinal to break the law - to steal back for the crown the
Orb of Charlemagne, now under close guard at the priory at Clerkenwell.
Benjamin and Roger have no choice but to agree to the task... Before
long they are drawn, not only into the shadowy underworld of Tudor
London and the illegal trade of relics, but also into murder and
blackmail. Paul Doherty was born in Middlesbrough. He studied History
at Liverpool and Oxford Universities and obtained a doctorate for his
thesis on Edward II and Queen Isabella. He is now headmaster of a school
in north-east London and lives with his family in Essex.
