A compelling murder mystery set against the backdrop of one of the most dramatic episodes in English history. I have instructed the stout, dumpling-cheeked widow who sees to the comfort of my house to feed my writings to the flames the moment I breathe my last. I do not doubt that she will obey my order since I have bought her loyalty with gold and soft words, and in any case the woman is unlettered and has little interest in my ramblings. Thus I would have it. I am the last survivor of those who took part in the Plaincourt Manor affair and I have vowed to take that secret to my grave . . . The illegitimate child of a penniless knight and a woman of easy virtue, Francis Cranley is abandoned by his mother when his father is killed in battle bravely fighting for the esteemed House of York. Realizing the babe faces certain death without his intervention, the Duke of York decides to repay his dead knight's loyalty by saving the child, taking him in and raising him at Middleham Castle alongside his own children, including the youngest, Richard of Gloucester—to whom Cranley grows particularly attached, displaying an unswerving loyalty from an early age. Capable, quick-witted and handy in a fight, Cranley is chosen by Gloucester to untangle a mystery that arrives at the castle one wintry December morning in the guise of an old soldier on the run. Accused of murdering a child, the man begs Gloucester to help him prove his innocence. Years ago he saved the duke's life, and now he hopes the favor will be returned. Gloucester wants to help, but he cannot be seen to aid a man wanted by the king's justices, since the king is his beloved brother. So he turns to Cranley, who embarks on a journey that puts him in mortal danger as he uncovers dark secrets and is pitted against powerful enemies uncomfortably close to the throne . . .
