It’s 1266. Eleanor of Castile, adored wife of the Crown Prince of England, is still only a princess when she is held hostage in the brutal Barons’ Rebellion and her baby daughter dies.
Scarred by privation, a bitter Eleanor swears revenge on those who would harm her family – and vows never to let herself be vulnerable again.
As she rises to become Queen, Eleanor keeps Olwen, a trusted herbalist, who tried to save her daughter, by her side. But it is dangerous to be friendless in a royal household, and as the court sets out on crusade, Olwen and Eleanor discover that the true battle for Europe may not be a matter of swords and lances, but one fanned by whispers and spies…
The Damask Rose, the second in Carol McGrath‘s Rose Trilogy series, is published in paperback and ebook editions on 15 April, 2021.
Read Carol’s Historia feature, Opus Anglicanum: the beauty of medieval English embroidery, in which she looks at the gorgeous, luxurious and expesnive materials produced by women in the Middle Ages.