Lord Royce's Knights Series

England, winter, A.D.1121. After fleeing Sutton Castle, where her ruthless father, Lord Phelan, drunken brother, Eustace, and an elderly suitor are all determined to see her married off for a second time, Lady Margaret and her best friend, Catherine of Wortham, travel through a blizzard to reach isolated Bowen Manor, owned by Catherine’s brother, Arden, who has long been absent from England. There they hope to be safe. They don’t know that Arden has returned to England and is heading for Bowen, where he plans to stay alone until he can decide how to face his father, Royce the baron of Wortham. Arden has terrible sins to confess and the last thing he wants is two women to chatter at him and destroy what little peace he can find. But when Catherine learns that Tristan, the man she has always loved, has married and will soon be coming to Bowen to join Arden, she falls ill. Margaret’s quiet kindness and good sense work wonders as she tries to reconcile the siblings. Arden finds himself aching to make love to her. But he has no right to love any woman, not after what he has done. Margaret’s family heads for Wortham Castle to demand that Lord Royce help their search. After warning Royce about their traitorous political designs and declaring he wants nothing more to do with Lord Phelan, the elderly suitor departs. Royce takes his priest and Margaret’s family and heads for Bowen Manor. There Tristan and his charming wife, Isabel, have also arrived. Phelan, seeing an advantage to himself, demands that Arden and Margaret must marry immediately after spending so much time alone together. Arden declares that he cannot marry, not under any circumstances. But Phelan’s brutality toward his daughter soon forces Arden to agree, for marriage is the only way he can protect her. On their wedding night, Arden confesses most of his crimes to Margaret and is amazed at her understanding. After Phelan and his son are sent back to Sutton, Arden meets with his father, Margaret, and Father Aymon in the castle chapel. There he reveals the worst of his wrongdoing and is surprised when Royce, though hurt and unhappy, still forgives the son he loves. Father Aymon sets a penance for Arden and orders him to be a good husband to Margaret. The next day, as all of the guests depart Bowen, headed for Wortham Castle, another severe snowstorm is predicted. .

A sixteen-year-old girl is missing on the island of Jersey. Aglise is the goddaughter of Lord Royce. After receiving a desperate letter from Aglise’s older sister, Elaine, begging for his help, Royce sends two agents to Jersey to discover what has happened. Desmond, who loves the excitement of spying, is in charge of the mission. He doesn’t much like his assigned companion, Cadwallon. The two are obviously unwelcome at Warden’s Manor, where Lord Bertrand and his icy wife, Lady Benedicta, manage the island in the name of King Henry I. Bertrand claims the island has been thoroughly searched and no sign of Aglise has been found. Lady Benedicta insists the girl has run off with a lover. Only Elaine seems genuinely worried about her sister. A quiet young woman, she secretly harbors doubts about the beautiful Aglise’s recent activities. For his part, Desmond is unwillingly drawn to Elaine by her intelligence and her dauntless determination to find her sister. Meanwhile, in Caen, Normandy, a French spy is plotting against King Henry while he dallies with a noble lady. Aglise is found buried in a sea cave beneath the cliffs. There’s not a mark on her body, which leads Desmond and Cadwallon to assume she was poisoned. Elaine declares that a necklace Aglise always wore is missing. Later, during the vigil for Aglise in the manor house chapel, Lord Bertrand drops the necklace near the bier. Upon confronting Lord Bertrand in his private chamber, Elaine, Desmond, and Cadwallon are shocked to learn that he and his young foster daughter were involved in a sexual liaison – an affair that, to the medieval mind, is the same as incest. The fact provides a motive for murder; Lady Benedicta may have killed Aglise out of jealousy. Cadwallon says he doubts it, because the lady is much too cool emotionally to commit an act of passion. If Lady Benedicta killed Aglise, it must have been for some other reason. Later, Desmond tenderly comforts Elaine, leaving her yearning for more. When Elaine mentions that Lady Benedicta keeps pigeons, Desmond realizes she may not be raising all of the birds for food. Messenger pigeons have been used for centuries to carry information during wartime, or used by spies. In Caen, the French spy wonders where his latest message is but, as usual, he distracts himself with sex. While packing Aglise’s clothing, Elaine discovers a tiny roll of parchment bearing a coded message. When Desmond deciphers the code, it’s clear that Lady Benedicta has been sending information to someone in Normandy. There’s a plot to kill King Henry on May 1. Desmond and Cadwallon have only a few days to save the king, but the island is engulfed in dense fog and no ships can leave. Can Desmond and Cadwallon reach Normandy in time to save the king? Dare they leave Elaine behind to face the danger Lady Benedicta poses? And what of that intrepid, seductive French spy?

The plan is simple: Magnus is to abduct the French spy, Count Erland, and transport him to England to be traded for a English spy who’s being held by the French. But the captive Englishman is Magnus’ estranged twin brother, Desmond. And no sooner have Magnus and his companions, Braedon and William, arrived at Manoir St Inge than Magnus is confronted by Erland’s niece, Lilianne. The lady is willing to help, for a price – Magnus must extract from Erland information as to where her little brother, Gilbert, has been hidden. Magnus, fascinated by her, reluctantly agrees. A dangerous escape from France that includes Lilianne and her companion, Alice, leads to unexpected romance for both ladies. Lilianne, a tall, sturdy girl, feels dainty and feminine with the oversized Magnus, while shy Alice discovers quiet pleasures with William. In England, Lilianne finally learns from Erland that Gilbert, secretly locked in a tower room at the manor without food or water, is surely dead by now. Heartbroken, she decides she must return to France to see the boy properly buried. Magnus won’t allow her to go into danger alone. He has fallen deeply into love with the indomitable girl, but has nothing to offer her except his sword and his life. Lilianne, knowing they have no hope of being together permanently and declaring she will never lie with another man, offers herself to him. Unable to resist what he wants so desperately, Magnus sets aside his knightly scruples and they make love. The little group’s second foray into the manor brings several surprises. Lilianne discovers that Gilbert is not dead and Magnus finds documents that provide valuable information about French spies in England. Gilbert keeps talking about the man who saved his life by sending him food on a rope. He’s locked in the dungeon and Gilbert wants to rescue him. Over Magnus’ objections, Lilianne insists, saying a debt is owed. When they find and free the man, he proves to be Magnus’ brother, Desmond. Now they must all get out of the manor and onto the ship that’s waiting for them. But Erland’s henchman has discovered their presence and the friends must fight their way to freedom. . Back in England the truth emerges. Most of what Magnus was told was lies, devised by Erland in a scheme to increase his own power. King Henry is so delighted to have Erland as his captive that he rewards Magnus with a grant of property in Kent. Landless no more, Magnus asks Lilianne to marry him. Gilbert is to be his squire. Lilianne suggests that Desmond recover from his cruel captivity at his brother’s new home, where she hopes the two will reconcile. Lilianne and Magnus are married. After a tender wedding night, they ride off to a new life.

Spring, AD 1121. Catherine cannot understand why her father, Lord Royce, has arranged a village fair and tournament for the two weeks around Whitsunday in May. Odder still is the guest list, for it includes people whom Catherine knows are not friends: Lord Phelan and his drunken son, Eustace, who once put a scar on Catherine’s face; Lady Edith, who has rather obvious designs on the widowed Royce; and Lord Achard, who declares his love for Catherine, though she barely knows him. She’s sure his sudden “love” is because of her large dowry. Royce insists she must allow Achard to court her, but he promises that she won’t have to marry him. She just knows this is another of her father’s plots. Worst of all is the handsome Sir Braedon, who calls himself “Braedon the Wicked.” Catherine knows Braedon is hiding something in his baggage – weapons or poisons, perhaps. Their verbal sparring ends though, when Achard forces Catherine into a secluded spot and tries to ravish her so she will have no choice but to wed him. Braedon arrives just in time to save her. Braedon is furious with Royce for his casual treatment of his daughter. The two quarrel, but Royce is Braedon’s superior in the current scheme, so the younger man has no choice but to obey. A fortune-teller at the fair promises Aldis, Catherine’s cousin and companion, a happy future with her true love. But “Mab” predicts danger and unhappiness for Catherine. Strange events begin to occur as the tournament finally begins. Braedon is wounded and carried off to his room in the castle before Catherine can intervene to aid him. Royce still refuses to tell Catherine what is actually going on, so she decides to find out for herself. With the help of Aldis, Catherine enters Braedon’s room while his squire, Robert is away. Braedon is not injured, but provides no more information than Royce did. Catherine’s anger turns to passion and she and Braedon make love. But Royce catches them. He’s outraged and threatens to kill Braedon – after their work for King Henry is completed. One peculiar event follows another, until Royce has the information he needs. Taking Lady Edith with him, he sets off for the royal court. Braedon and his squire follow, along with Catherine and Aldis. There Royce has an audience with King Henry, at which he reveals what he has learned. Certain guests at the tournament are traitors, for their attempts to make certain the king’s successor will be their own choice. Henry orders appropriate punishment for each of them. Royce demands the right to meet Braedon in single combat, which the king refuses. Then the truth of Braedon’s parentage is finally told. And a past crime is at last attributed to Lady Edith. With the king’s permission, Braedon and Catherine are married, as are Aldis and Robert, who is knighted after many years of waiting. The four newlyweds ride off to their new lives, while Royce and King Henry discuss possible future secret activities.

Fionna’s ruthless brothers decide she must die for overhearing their treasonous plotting against the king of the Scots. They toss her into a nearby river, but she manages to make it to the riverbank. There she is found by Quentin of Alney who is returning from a diplomatic mission to King Alexander. Upon learning Quentin’s name, Fionna is terrified because he is the man her brothers intend to kill to create an incident that will lead to war between England and Scotland. Gillemore and Murdoch are furious that Alexander is allowing Normans to settle on Scottish land, and he’s changing age-old customs. Fionna has never known kindness, but Quentin and his companions soon win her over. They agree to help her remove her younger sister, Janet, from an abbey where she’s being held until the brutal man she’s supposed to marry returns from transporting an English spy to French captivity. Lord Royce of Wortham, an old friend of Quentin, joins the group. Long depressed after the early death of his beloved wife, he is cheered by recent events and agrees to help save Janet. A difficult rescue, complicated by Janet’s unwillingness to accept Fionna’s explanation, followed by attacks from Gillemore and Murdock and their cohorts, all delay the return to England and safety. Along the way, Fionna is badly wounded when she tries to protect Quentin. Meanwhile, Janet wages a battle of words with Quentin’s friend, Cadwallon, who appears to be falling into love with the sharp-tongued girl. Fionna has fallen into love with Quentin, though she recognizes he is far above her socially. Still, she gives into her emotions and sleeps with him. The party eventually reaches Wortham Castle, Royce’s home, and there his daughter, Catherine, makes them welcome and cares for Fionna’s wounds. But what hope can there be for happy endings for two Scottish girls, neither with a dowry, who have fallen into love with Norman noblemen?

Royce, the baron of Wortham cherishes the memory of this first wife, to whom he was famously faithful. But King Henry I wants him to wed Julianna in order to keep her vast properties out of the hands of King Louis VI of France. Henry is uncertain of Julianna’s loyalty and he trusts Royce, his long-time spymaster, to keep the lady out of trouble. Julianna, twice forced to marry men who cared nothing for her, is even less eager to wed than Royce. When the two meet they agree they must obey the king, so they will treat each other honestly and, once the marriage is consummated, they will continue a polite but distant relationship. However, Royce cannot resist a mystery and Julianna is plainly a lady with secrets. On their wedding night Royce discovers one of those secrets: Julianna was sorely neglected by her previous husbands. Though not technically a virgin, she remains ignorant of the pleasure that men and women may find together. She is first astonished, then beguiled by Royce’s tender treatment of her But there is so much she cannot tell him.... Thus begins a contest of secrets and opposing agendas between a husband and wife who, despite their pledge of honesty, dare not tell each other the truth. Julianna cannot escape the web woven by her late second husband and his nephew, Sir Kenric. Royce wants to trust his wife, while knowing that she is hiding something important from him. Worse yet, he is beginning to care for her, an emotion he sees as a betrayal of his first wife, Avisa. As the two follow the royal court from Caen in Normandy to Norwich in England, plots and danger surround them.