A Spy for the Redeemer
Read A Spy for the Redeemer Online
Authors: Candace Robb
Tags: #Fiction, #General, #Historical, #Mystery & Detective, #Crime
Candace Robb studied for a Ph.D. in Medieval and Anglo-Saxon literature and has continued to read and research medieval history and literature ever since. The Owen Archer series grew out of a fascination with the city of York and the tumultuous 14th century; the first in the series,
The Apothecary Rose
, was published in 1994, at which point she began to write full time. In addition to the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and America, her novels are published in France, Germany, Spain and Holland, and she is also available in the UK on audiobook and in large print.
She is currently writing the eighth Owen Archer novel, following a short break to write
A Trust Betrayed
, the first in a new series of mysteries set in Edinburgh at the time of Robert the Bruce.
Acclaim for Candace Robb:
‘Ellis Peters has a cohort of pretenders snapping at her heels … most impressive of the bunch is Candace Robb. A definite tip for tomorrow’
Time Out
‘Robb interweaves a complex story of love, passion and murder into the troubled and tangled fabric of Welsh history, fashioning a rich and satisfying novel’
Publishers Weekly
‘A superb medieval mystery, thoroughly grounded in historical fact’
Booklist
‘Gripping and believable … you can almost smell the streets of 14th-century York as you delve deeper into an engrossing plot’
Prima
‘Hugely, but subtly, detailed … complex, ambiguous and gripping. The solution had me guessing almost to the very end’
Historical Novels Review
Also by Candace Robb
O
WEN
A
RCHER
M
YSTERIES
The Apothecary Rose
The Lady Chapel
The Nun’s Tale
The King’s Bishop
The Riddle of St Leonard’s
A Gift of Sanctuary
The Cross-Legged Knight
M
ARGARET
K
ERR
M
YSTERIES
A Trust Betrayed
The Fire in the First
A Cruel Courtship
To find out more about Candace Robb’s novels, visit the Candace Robb website at
www.candacerobb.com
This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
Version 1.0
Epub ISBN 9781446440735
Published by Arrow 2000
5 7 9 10 8 6
Copyright © Candace Robb 1999
Candace Robb has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work
This novel is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser
First published in the United Kingdom in 1999 by William Heinemann
The Random House Group Limited
20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA
Random House Australia (Pty) Limited
20 Alfred Street, Milsons Point, Sydney,
New South Wales 2061, Australia
Random House New Zealand Limited
18 Poland Road, Glenfield
Auckland 10, New Zealand
Random House South Africa (Pty) Limited
Isle of Houghton, Corner Boundary Road & Carse O’Gowrie,
Houghton, 2198, South Africa
The Random House Group Limited Reg. No. 954009
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 0 09 927797 2
For Patrick and Evan
,
CONTENTSmy dear friends who represent me to the world
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
For devoting their time and sharing their knowledge throughout the imagining and writing of this book I thank Lynne Drew, Kate Elton, Sara Ann Freed, Joyce Gibb, Jeremy Goldberg, Fiona Kelleghan, Evan Marshall, Nona Rees, Compton Reeves, Charlie Robb, Patrick Walsh, the staff of the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth, and my colleagues on the Internet discussion lists Mediev-l, Chaucer, and Medfem. Any mistakes are surely my own.
archdeacon | as was (and is) customary, the archdeacons of St David’s were appointed by the bishop and carried out most of his duties; however, because the Bishop of St David’s was the lord of the March, his archdeacons were men of considerable power |
butt | a mark or mound for archery practice |
certes | certainly, to be sure (middle English) |
demesne lands | the land immediately attached to a mansion, and held along with it for practical or pleasurable use; the park, chase, home-farm, etc. |
houppelande | men’s attire; a flowing gown, often floor-length and slit up to thigh level to ease walking, but sometimes knee-length; sleeves large and open |
jongleur | a minstrel who sang, juggled, tumbled |
Lady Chapel | a chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, usually situated at the east end of the church |
leman | mistress |
liege lord | the superior to whom one gives allegiance and service |
Marches/ | the borders of the kingdom and the lords |
Marcher Lords | to whom the King granted jurisdiction over them |
mazer | a large wooden cup or bowl, often highly decorated |
minster | a large church or cathedral; the Cathedral of St Peter in York is referred to as York Minster |
no fors | does not matter (middle English) |
seneschal | in the household of a sovereign or great noble the official who administers justice and controls domestic arrangements |
scrip | a small bag, wallet, or satchel |
solar | private room on upper level of house |
summoner | an assistant to an archdeacon who cited people to the archbishop’s or bishop’s consistory court, which was held once a month. The court was staffed by the bishop’s officials and lawyers and had jurisdiction over the diocesan clergy and the morals, wills and marriages of the laity. Also called an ‘apparitor’. |
tabard | a loose upper garment without sleeves |
trencher | a thick slice of brown bread a few days old with a slight hollow in the centre, used as a platter |
vicar | as a modern vicar is the deputy of the rector, so a vicar choral was a cleric in holy orders acting as the deputy of a canon attached to the cathedral; for a modest annual salary the vicar choral performed his canon’s duties, attending the various services of the church and singing the liturgy |