Gypsy's Bride

In the England of 1218, King John is dead and his young son is on the throne,guided by the aging William, Marshall of England. All of the vast domains ofJohns father on the Continent have been lost and the rebellious barons are heldto a fragile truce. It is very much a mans world. When Elise of Debouchet defi es the step-uncle who has laid claim to herestates and refuses to marry any of the men he chooses, he gives her an ultimatum. You do not need your eyes to speak the vows or get an heir. You will do as I sayor I will have your eyes put out. Elise says she would rather marry any man thanthe one before her. Her uncle counters with, The next man through the gate willbe your husband, be he prince or serf. Elise agrees because she doesnt want tobe blinded. Her uncle has taken her mother and younger sister hostage and sheneeds time to fi nd some clue as to where he holds them. When Louis of Kirkfi eld, a Romani merchant, walks over the bridge andthrough the gate of the closest castle, his only thought is to buy a horse to replacehis lame packhorse. He is overwhelmed by four brawny men and badly beaten,then forced to say vows before a priest. He and his new bride are thrown into atower room. The door is barred against escape. Louis does escape and comes back with an army. But Elises mother andsister cannot be located and they follow the trail to France and her grandmother. The more they know, the more they fi nd out, the bigger the scheme becomesand they are now searching for a double agent, a money lender, a lawyer and anassassin. The wealthy young bride and her gypsy must follow the trails and learnto work together to make their marriage work and therein lies the tale.