In this sequel to Healy's debut (The Canterbury Papers
), set in 13th-century France, King Phillippe's sister, Princess Alaïs, is surprised by his request for advice regarding a mysterious note warning him to stay out of the affairs of Toulouse, where his cousin Raymond rules. When the pope's envoy arrives, begging Philippe to help fight a proto-Protestant religious sect called the Cathars in Raymond's territory, Philippe refuses—besides the warning, Philippe carries a grudge against Pope Innocent. When Alaïs's aunt Constance, along with a palace treasure, disappears, Alaïs defies the wishes of her betrothed, William, a Knight Templar, and rides southward with a few trusted knights to find answers and, maybe, a resolution to the conflict. Uncovering the plot against Toulouse, Alaïs is commanding but not stubborn, and Healey uses sumptuous detail to explore the courtly lives of spiritually frustrated medieval women; unfortunately, tedium sets in as it becomes clear that the princess's every hunch will turn out to be right. (July)
