Medieval mysteries have long been a favorite of mine because the atmosphere invokes a time and place so different from modern life with its open society, comfortable, consumer oriented lifestyles, its a window into a much darker age of barons, abbeys, feuding lords, robbers, struggling serfs and towns folk. This series focuses on the fiefdoms of religion during that time when abbeys, monasteries, churches, hospitals and schools were all religious institutions and provided hope and comfort. It’s the 12th in the Abbess of Mieux series and features Hildegard, an understanding, competent nun determined to successfully complete her penance by going on a mission to a northern English Benedectine monastry during the Twelve Days of Christmas holidays in 1389 during the troubled reign of King Richard.
Hildegard is tasked to obtain a relic, a lock of hair from the Anglo-Saxon Saint Hild, and must bid for it in competition with another small abbey and the famous cathedral of Glastonbury. Her travelling companions are 2 soldiery, smart monks and a young naive priest. They make for a well balanced team of wits, shrewdness and bravery tempered by discernment and tact. They mingle with the other guests at the Abbey, a mix of minor landowners, ladies and other travelers, there to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas.
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