England, 1647: a wise woman has predicted the birth of Simon Dale, to the very day and district. But if the rest of her ominous forecast is accurate, how can this ordinary child be predestined to love where the King loved, know what the King hid, and drink of the King's cup? For the young man, Simon Dale, only one course of action can be taken: not to seek his own path, but to leave himself in the hands of Fate. This brilliant novel charts an absorbing...

In 1665 London, fourteen-year-old Christopher Rowe, apprentice to an apothecary, and his best friend, Tom, try to uncover the truth behind a mysterious cult, following a trail of puzzles, codes, pranks, and danger toward an unearthly secret with the power to tear the world apart.

In seventeenth-century England, the King ensures his mistress's safety by having Robert Merivel, son of a glovemaker, marry her, but Merivel falls in love with his wife, is cast out of courtly life, and finds refuge working with the insane at New Bedlam.

Ondine, the daughter of a slain duke, agrees to marry Lord Warwick Chatham, the man who rescued her from the gallows, and enters a world of intrigue and passion at the court of King Charles II.

Wed to Chadwick Hawthorne, heir apparent to the earldom of Bryant and a reluctant bridegroom, Chelynne Mondeloy sets out to discover the reason for her husband's indifference, a quest marked by intrigue, blackmail, and scandal.

Christopher, Tom, and Sally engage in a dangerous cat and mouse game with the Raven as Christopher attempts to finally unmask him.

The gripping story of one of the most enigmatic and alluring figures in British history: a dangerous double agent and Irish rogue in King Charles II's court. One morning in May 1671, a man disguised as a parson daringly attempted to seize the crown jewels from the Tower of London. Astonishingly, he managed to escape with the regalia and crown before being apprehended. And yet he was not executed for treason. Instead, the king granted him a generous...

Ariadne Daunt has vowed to be with the man she loves, Gabriel Fawcett. There's just one obstacle. On his deathbed, Ari's grandfather decrees that she marry her childhood friend Ivor Chalfont, thus forging a powerful alliance between the two warring families. Giving Ari no time to protest, the elders plan her wedding the next day, forcing her to follow through on the nuptials. Though she is fond of Ivor, Ari has no intention of consummating their marriage--until...

As the plague decimates London in 1665 and an assassin threatens the apothecary's life, apprentice Christopher Rowe and his faithful friend Tom, following a trail of puzzles, riddles, and secrets, risk their lives to untangle the heart of a dark conspiracy.

Brief Lives (1669-1697) is a collection of short biographical sketches on famous British figures by author, antiquarian, and archaeologist John Aubrey. The work is significant for its unique style, a blend of facts-names, dates, family, important works-and personal anecdotes for which Aubrey combined his skills for research and conversation to compile. Unpublished during his lifetime, the text was pieced together from extensive handwritten manuscripts...