Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
To save her unborn child, she will trust a stranger.To protect her secret, she must risk her life.1612 Pendle Hill, EnglandYoung Fleetwood Shuttleworth, the mistress of Gawthorpe Hall, is with child. Anxious to provide an heir, she finds a hidden letter from her physician that warns her husband she will not survive this pregnancy.Confused and distraught, Fleetwood wanders her estate grounds, where she discovers a stranger, a poor young woman illegally poaching. The woman introduces herself as Alice Gray, a local midwife. When Fleetwood confides in her, Alice promises to help her deliver a healthy baby. But soon Alice stands accused of witchcraft as a witch-obsessed frenzy sweeps the countryside. Even the woodland creatures, or "familiars," are thought to be dark companions of the unholy. Can Fleetwood trust that Alice Gray really is who she says she is?As the two women's fates become more intertwined, Fleetwood must prove Alice's innocence. Time is running out. The witch trials are about to begin. With both their lives at stake, only they know the truth. Only they can save each other.Set against the real Pendle Witch Trials of 1612, this compelling novel draws its characters from historical figures as it explores the lives and rights of seventeenth-century women. Ultimately it raises the question: Was witch-hunting just another way to control women who were strong, threatening or merely inconvenient?
Synopsis
To save her unborn child, she will trust a stranger.Pendle Hill, England, 1612Fleetwood Shuttleworth, the mistress of Gawthorpe Hall, is with child. Anxious to produce an heir, she is distraught to find a letter from her physician that warns her husband she will not survive this pregnancy.Devastated, Fleetwood wanders the estate grounds, where she catches a young woman poaching. Alice Gray claims she is a local midwife and promises to help Fleetwood deliver a healthy baby. But a witch-obsessed frenzy sweeps the countryside. Even woodland creatures or "familiars" are thought to be dark companions of the unholy. And Alice soon stands accused of witchcraft.Time is running out. The witch trials are about to begin. With both their lives at stake, Fleetwood must prove Alice's innocence. Only they know the truth.Set against the real Pendle witch trials, this compelling novel draws its characters from historical figures as it explores the lives of seventeenth-century women. Ultimately it raises the question: Was witch hunting really just women hunting?
Synopsis
In 1612 Lancaster, England, the hunt for witches has reached a fever pitch... But in a time of suspicion and accusation, to be a woman may be the greatest risk of all.
Fleetwood Shuttleworth, the mistress of Pendle Hill's Gawthorpe Hall, is with child. Anxious to produce an heir, she is distraught to find a letter from her physician that warns her husband she will not survive this pregnancy.
Devastated, Fleetwood wanders the estate grounds, where she catches a young woman poaching. Alice Gray claims she is a local midwife and promises to help Fleetwood deliver a healthy baby. But a witch-obsessed frenzy sweeps the countryside. Even woodland creatures or "familiars" are thought to be dark companions of the unholy. And Alice soon stands accused of witchcraft.
Time is running out. The witch trials are about to begin. With both their lives at stake, Fleetwood must prove Alice's innocence. Only they know the truth.
Set against the real Pendle witch trials, this compelling novel draws its characters from historical figures as it explores the lives of seventeenth-century women. Ultimately it raises the question: Was witch hunting really just women hunting?
Synopsis
From the Author of the Sunday Times Bestseller, Mrs. England
In 1612 Lancaster, England, the hunt for witches has reached a fever pitch...
But in a time of suspicion and accusation, to be a woman may be the greatest risk of all.
Fleetwood Shuttleworth, the mistress of Pendle Hill's Gawthorpe Hall, is with child. Anxious to produce an heir, she is distraught to find a letter from her physician that warns her husband she will not survive this pregnancy.
Devastated, Fleetwood wanders the estate grounds, where she catches a young woman poaching. Alice Gray claims she is a local midwife and promises to help Fleetwood deliver a healthy baby. But a witch-obsessed frenzy sweeps the countryside. Even woodland creatures or "familiars" are thought to be dark companions of the unholy. And Alice soon stands accused of witchcraft.
Time is running out. The witch trials are about to begin. With both their lives at stake, Fleetwood must prove Alice's innocence. Only they know the truth.
Set against the real Pendle witch trials, this compelling novel draws its characters from historical figures as it explores the lives of seventeenth-century women. Ultimately it raises the question: Was witch hunting really just women hunting?