The year is 1537. Henry VIII is the king of England. Joanna Stafford, daughter of a duke, is a novice nun at Dartford priory. Joanna learns that her favorite cousin, Lady Margaret Bulmer, has been condemned to burn at the stake for her part in an uprising against Henry the VIII. The king has been systematically closing the religious houses. Even though it is forbidden Joanna travels to London to be with her cousin. Unfortunately, Joanna and her father the duke are arrested and jailed in the Tower of London.
Stephen Gardiner, the powerful Bishop of Winchester, engineers Joanna’s release, but to save her father she must locate a sacred relic, the crown of Athelstan. Gardiner believes the crown is hidden at Dartford. Accompanied by two monks, agents of Gardiner, Joanna returns to secretly search for the crown. Before long a guest at the priory drops dead in fright after viewing a tapestry.
This first novel by author Bilyeau is a clever blend of historical fiction and mystery.
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