BOOK #1

Alyson Fox has one goal: to serve as a dressmaker to a highborn lady. And as the daughter of a successful cloth merchant in the town of Thetford, she believes she has the skill to achieve this lofty ambition. Her father, however, would rather see his only daughter marry and marry soon. Opportunity arrives when the town bailiff and Alyson's awkward suitor arranges a coronation banquet to honor King Richard the Lionheart, who has just reclaimed his throne. But when a poor knight on the outs with the king unexpectedly joins the Fox household, the young dressmaker finds herself distracted and annoyed-until she concocts a scheme that will benefit them both. Lord Berengar of Ashenham killed for his faith and king on the bloody sands of the Holy Land-and more. Now in disgrace, he seeks redemption, although he doesn't know what to do other than await the king's call. In dire need of cash, he agrees to teach the son of cloth merchant a few tricks of his trade. It's only when his brazen daughter makes him a strange offer that he sees a spark of hope for himself. But things get complicated as the lives of the dressmaker and the knight become increasingly entwined and what once seemed like a simple trade of favors leads to revelations that neither had bargained for-and might be too much to bear.