Dame Audrey

Book excerpt: Young widow seeks true love amid the turmoil of Chaucer’s England. In fourteenth century Britain, Dame Audrey cherishes her independence as the widow of a wealthy cloth merchant. But some of the wealthier traders covet her profitable business and she fears they will invoke the Abbot’s authority to compel her to marry a man of their choice. Her worst nightmare is suffering under a cruel husband like the hateful jeweler, Henry Goldsmith, who has threatened to curb her lively spirits. Audrey joins a pilgrimage to Glastonbury to pray for guidance. The holy relics give her no inspiration nor do her fellow travelers. On the homeward journey, she aids the dying victim of a brutal robbery. She wins the stranger’s blessing and a gold brooch with a green dragon. Back in her hometown, the faerie brooch attracts trouble from thieves of all ranks and the attentions of a handsome yeoman, Selwyn Drake. As her nightmare looms nearer, she grows desperate to preserve her freedom. Can the magic brooch help Audrey evade the schemes to force her into wedlock or must she submit to a husband’s will? A sweet, realistic story about second chances for love in medieval England. Historical fiction; medieval romance and fantasy; quest for true love; medieval mystery; strong female lead; faeries; magic