Andrea Chapin Knihy

'Since meeting you, dear lady, I have put quill to page every day. I write and write and write.' Headstrong young widow Katharine de L'Isle lives a quiet, solitary existence in her uncle's Lancashire home of Lufanwal Hall until events conspire to shatter her tranquility. First the family priest is murdered, causing her uncle and protector to flee the country. Then a new schoolmaster arrives from Stratford and turns her orderly world upside down. Rude, flirtatious and wickedly witty, Will Shakespeare appalls Katharine. Yet the discovery of a mutual love of poetry draws them together. First she is seduced by his words, then by his passion. Though Will already has a wife and Katharine a new suitor, she cannot resist spending long hours alone with him. She becomes his muse but even as their affair develops, dark forces are gathering around Lufanwal Hall. Conspiracy, witchcraft and high treason threaten Katharine's family and Will may not be the man to save them. Deep in love and cut off from her family, Katharine is torn between her heart and her duty. Can she ever stay true to herself and still save her family from ruin?