Swords and Shields

1301 A. D. - Following the great quest north with Cortez de Bretagne (THE QUESTING), de Bretagne's knight, Sir Drake de Winter, returns home to the great de Winter empire in Norfolk but it is not the safe and wonderful haven he remembers. Family unrest causes him to flee to London and into the service of the elderly King Edward I, a personal friend of Drake's father. In Edward's service, Drake finds himself in Scotland as a major player in the Siege of Caerlaverock Castle. In a moment of pure luck, he saves the king from great injury and in thanks, Edward gifts Drake with an heiress for a wife. But it is not the happy circumstance most men would see it as. Drake, a confirmed bachelor, cannot refuse the gift of a wife and is therefore forced to wed Lady Elisaveta du Reims, daughter of the last Earl of East Anglia. Beautiful and intelligent, Elisaveta is English by birth, yet of Scots and French blood, making her very much an enemy of England during these turbulent times. Although Drake is polite to her, he does not trust her. He does not want her. However, he cannot resist the feelings she stirs within him but his instincts tell him to beware. His instincts are correct; Elisaveta is not as she seems. Her heart belongs to France and to Scotland, but with the introduction of a new husband, her loyalties are torn. She, too, cannot resist the feelings the powerful young knight stirs within her. Join Drake and Elisaveta on this unforgettable and passionate adventure.