A King's Sanctuary

It takes a community to save a King's life A creative re-telling of documented historical events in and around White Ladies Manor and Boscobel House in Shropshire, England during the future King Charles II's sojourn there after the Battle of Worcester in September 1651. Historical facts and characters are woven into a fictional narrative told largely by a herbalist, Dame Sarah Kinver, who uses her healing practice, alongside other members of the two households, in a desperate battle to save Charles from dying of hypothermia and exhaustion; and to help him escape from Parliamentarian forces who would execute him if they found him. The story addresses the tension between holy vocation and witchcraft in which healing was perceived in 17th Century England. Sarah's sacred calling to serve God through caring for others is tested and pushed to new limits as she cares for Charles. Will saving Charles' life cost Sarah her own? Can her vow of celibacy withstand the charms of this traumatised Prince in need of tender loving care?