Lady Margaret's Escape

After suffering the loss of her first pregnancy, a son and heir to the throne, Queen Matilda is once again with child. Overjoyed but cautious of another loss, King Henry I, of medieval England, seeks a skilled midwife to assist his wife throughout her pregnancy and labor. His search leads him to Margaret. Margaret, our female protagonist, was once a woman of rank and leisure, has been betrayed by her father and made a common slave. The king's dire need for a midwife provides her with an enticing opportunity to escape a life of servitude and return to her previous station, but first she must prove her worth and make a bargain with the devil. King Henry is reluctant to haggle with the midwife, but when Margaret reveals her suspicions of foul play being the cause of the queen's previous loss, his mind is made up. Not only will Margaret attend the queen, her fate with be tied to the queens - and that of their unborn babe. Deliver a healthy heir and King Henry will reward Margaret with the return of her rank, social status and wealth. Fail, and her life will be forfeit. The two women are sent to a secret forest retreat to wait out Queen Matilda's confinement away from the conspiracies and dangers of court life. Queen Matilda secretly intends to switch at birth a girl babe for a male one. Meanwhile, Henry's brother Robert invades England to seize Henry's crown and Margaret begins to fear she has allied herself with the wrong ruler. Will Margaret earn her freedom...or a severed head? ' Note: This novel includes the death of an infant which may be a trigger for some readers.