Book description
England 1371: a solemn convoy wends its way into York. William of
Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, is bringing home the remains of Sir
Ranulf Pagnell, patriarch of a powerful local family, who has died in
France. But the family hold the bishop responsible for Sir Ranulf's
death, and ill feeling surrounds his arrival. An accident in the
grounds of York Minster nearly kills the bishop.
Then, only a few days after, his townhouse is found ablaze. When the
body of a young woman is discovered in the undercroft of the house,
scandal threatens to destroy Wykeham. The Archbishop of York, John
Thoresby, asks Owen Archer for his help.
The one-eyed spy is troubled. Was the fire an accident or arson? Was
the woman trapped or the fire started to conceal a corpse? Stationing
guards in front of the smouldering remains, he starts to ask
questions. When it appears the dead woman was a midwife known to many
of the city's women, including Lucie, Owen's wife, his quest becomes personal.
Candace Robb has read and researched medieval history for many years,
having studied for a Ph. D in Medieval and Anglo-Saxon Literature. She
is the author of nine Owen Archer novels and three Margaret Kerr
Mysteries.
