Silk and Stone

Born into a family of Norman aristocrats, the Lady Elys has been raised by her pious mother as a candidate for the religious life. Though her lively spirit rebels against the tedium of the cloister that seems to be her destiny, Elys' sheltered upbringing has left her unfitted for any independent path — the only alternative to the convent is marriage. And Elys' dowry, all-important if she is to attract a suitable husband, has already been paid to the nuns. Returning from pilgrimage under the patronage of her formidable uncle Richard, Elys makes the acquaintance of the eligible Norman, Fulk, and his quiet companion, the Saxon master mason, Aylwin of Winchester, who encourages her struggles for a life of her own choosing, to the fury of her uncle. At home in an England divided by the civil war between Stephen and the Empress Matilda, Elys' own rebellion against her family takes shape as she determines to escape the convent, using her considerable skills as a needlewoman to become a professional broideress for the great church at Waltham Abbey. But her chosen road is a hard one. Her family's disapproval and the reluctance of the Canons at Waltham to employ a laywoman combine with the problems of working in a world where a woman unprotected by either husband or the Church is considered to be beyond the pale. Only Aylwin, himself a master craftsman, has some understanding of Elys' plight. The story of a woman struggling to assert her independence in a hostile world, Silk and Stone is a marvellously evocative novel which will delight all readers of historical fiction.