I really enjoyed this book, from the very first page I found myself immersed in an England in the grip of the Black Death circa 1348. The story begins with Sir Richard leaving Develish with an entourage of ten fighting men and the bailiff with a dowry scraped together to seal the marriage of Lady Eleanor his daughter who is fourteen, to Lord Peter of Bradmayne who is heir to a demesne which is twice the size of Devilish. There are already rumours that Lord Peter is ailing.There is no love lost between Lady Eleanor who is a spoiled and petulant teenager and Lady Anne who is her mother. Eleanor sees her mother as the enemy against her and Sir Richard. I liked the interactions between the main characters including Thaddeus Thurkell a slave of dubious background who has been elevated to become Lady Anne’s steward , The book is so easy to read and flows well, This is a sweeping story about the lives and role of women in the fourteenth century in a male dominated world and where class was seen as important.So It was interesting to see Lady Anne as being a forward thinking woman who tries to keep her demesne plague free by bringing in the serfs from outside the walls as thousands have died already from the Black Death. People are scared and worry for their souls.