Post-plague England. A broken woman. A struggling abbey. A second chance at freedom.
Bloodied, broken, and desperate to survive, Clare Berridge escapes the brutal man who has terrorized her throughout her marriage and seeks refuge behind the walls of St. Catherine’s Abbey. There, among a community of women bound by faith, hardship, and quiet strength, she begins to heal from wounds both visible and hidden. For the first time in years, Clare finds something she thought she had lost forever: safety.
But safety is fragile. Warin Berridge is a man driven by cruelty, pride, and possession, and he will not easily release what he believes belongs to him. Even within the abbey’s walls, Clare cannot outrun her past. As danger closes in, she is drawn into the abbey’s secretive scriptorium, where ink, parchment, and illuminated manuscripts offer not only purpose, but the possibility of transformation. Surrounded by women who have also known suffering, Clare begins to discover a strength she never knew she possessed.
Yet St. Catherine’s is no simple haven. The abbey itself is struggling to survive in a world scarred by plague, poverty, and the violence of powerful men. Old loyalties clash with new desires, suspicion festers within the cloister, and Clare’s presence may bring ruin to the very women who saved her. To protect them—and herself—she must decide whether she is willing to remain hunted, or finally fight for a life of her own.
Genre: Historical
Bloodied, broken, and desperate to survive, Clare Berridge escapes the brutal man who has terrorized her throughout her marriage and seeks refuge behind the walls of St. Catherine’s Abbey. There, among a community of women bound by faith, hardship, and quiet strength, she begins to heal from wounds both visible and hidden. For the first time in years, Clare finds something she thought she had lost forever: safety.
But safety is fragile. Warin Berridge is a man driven by cruelty, pride, and possession, and he will not easily release what he believes belongs to him. Even within the abbey’s walls, Clare cannot outrun her past. As danger closes in, she is drawn into the abbey’s secretive scriptorium, where ink, parchment, and illuminated manuscripts offer not only purpose, but the possibility of transformation. Surrounded by women who have also known suffering, Clare begins to discover a strength she never knew she possessed.
Yet St. Catherine’s is no simple haven. The abbey itself is struggling to survive in a world scarred by plague, poverty, and the violence of powerful men. Old loyalties clash with new desires, suspicion festers within the cloister, and Clare’s presence may bring ruin to the very women who saved her. To protect them—and herself—she must decide whether she is willing to remain hunted, or finally fight for a life of her own.
Genre: Historical
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