Trouble precedes them: at the gateway to the cathedral city someone leaves the body of a man, brutally stabbed. The Bishop of St David's is aware of Owen's work as a spy for the Archbishop of York and is determined to make use of his skills. The reluctance Owen feels is lessened when he learns that the dead man wore the livery of the Duke.
Owen and Chaucer must ride to Cydweli. There they find yet more trouble: the household of the steward and his beautiful young wife is riven by tension. A chain of events begun by the theft of money from the exchequer and ending in another violent death makes it impossible for Owen to leave. He must investigate charges of treachery, infidelity and murder, all the while working to prevent further deaths...
© William Heinemann 1998