Winter 1211. Former abbess Helewise returns to her cell near Hawkenlye to care for the needy, while Sir Josse d’Acquin is called to three deaths marked by a complex symbol of vengeance. The killings suggest a deliberate pattern, but the investigation unfolds alongside a crisis affecting Josse’s own family.
Far from England, Josse’s son Ninian has become involved with the Cathars as the Albigensian Crusade closes around them. Clare connects the local murder inquiry with the larger religious war in southern France, contrasting the language of heresy and vengeance with the personal loyalties that bind the Hawkenlye characters together.
