Baker & Taylor Sent on a diplomatic mission to France to persuade a powerful nobleman to remain loyal to the English king, medieval English poet Geoffrey Chaucer finds himself in the middle of furor when his host, the Comte de Guyac, is killed in a hunting "accident" and he must uncover the culprit before he is accused of the crime.
Baker & Taylor Sent on a diplomatic mission to France, medieval English poet Geoffrey Chaucer finds himself in the middle of furor when his host is killed in a hunting "accident" and he must uncover the culprit before he is accused of the crime.
Blackwell North Amer It is 1370, midway through that long Anglo French conflict now known as the Hundred Years War. England is in imminent danger of losing her most prized territorial possession of Aquitaine and so a mission is undertaken to persuade one of the most important noblemen of the region to remain loyal to the English cause. The man chosen to carry out this delicate task is none other than Geoffrey Chaucer, ambitious poet and protege of the King's son, John of Gaunt. Chaucer had once been held captive by Henri, Comte de Guyac, and had fallen in love with Rosamond, Henri's wife. Now he wonders how he will feel when he sees her again. But when Chaucer and his companions reach de Guyac's castle on the Dordogne in south-west France they find the household in turmoil. There are factions both inside and outside the castle who will stop at nothing to undermine the mission. When Henri is killed during a boar-hunt, Chaucer soon realizes it is not the straightforward hunting accident it first appears. Enemies and suspects abound: the double-dealing steward of the castle, the neighboring nobleman who wants Rosamond for himself, even a fanatical monk who has tracked Chaucer all the way from England - but for what purpose? The investigation that ensues turns the poet diplomat into a fugitive, stranded in a foreign country unsure of who his friends - and enemies - really are. Chaucer longs to return to England, to his pregnant wife and children. He'd like to settle down to his poetry, and tales of courtly love. But first there's a matter of murder to attend to.
Perseus Publishing
It is 1370, right in the middle of the Anglo-French conflict, the Hundred Years War. In danger of losing the Aquitaine territory, England sends Geoffrey Chaucer, protégé of the king's son, to France. As a poet on a diplomatic mission, Chaucer must persuade one of the most important noblemen of the region to remain loyal to England's king. The problem is that the noble, Henri, Comte de Guyac, whose wife Chaucer had previously fallen in love with when he was held prisoner by Henri, is not exactly neutral in his feelings for Chaucer. Wondering how he will feel when he meets with Rosamund, the Comte's wife, Chaucer reaches de Guyac's castle and is greeted by turmoil. There are factions ready to undermine his mission, which is further complicated when Henri is killed during a boar hunt. Chaucer soon realizes the Comte's death is no hunting accident and that he must solve the murder before returning home. Enemies and suspects abound. Wanting only to return to England and get back to his work, Chaucer finds himself in the midst of a brightly colorful puzzle that turns him into a fugitive in a foreign country, unsure who his friends and enemies really are.
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