Court of Deadly Whispers

Argyle Mowbray returns to an English court where Richard II is rebuilding royal authority and settling old scores. The king’s marriage to the young Isabella of Valois brings a new household from France, including a companion whose past and loyalties are deliberately obscured. Argyle hopes that serving the marriage settlement will restore his own damaged standing, but the court is preparing for arrests, executions and renewed conflict with the lords who once humiliated the king.

A sexual betrayal inside the royal household and the reappearance of a figure believed dead turn political vengeance into a danger for Argyle’s family. His brother is forced into a confrontation with one of England’s most powerful magnates, while Argyle can do little except follow rumours through chambers where every servant may be an informer. The novel presents chivalry as a code easily manipulated by rulers who control accusation, spectacle and punishment.