Lindsay Townsend

The Master Cook and the Maiden Lindsay Townsend

Vengeance...or love? Will Alfwen have to choose between them? And what part will the handsome Master Cook, Swein, play in her life?

Thrust into a convent against her will by her selfish brother, Walter, Alfwen hears nothing more from him for eight long years. But one fateful day, Walter's dog, Teazel, appears at Saint Hilda's convent. Around his neck he carries the dark message, "Avenge me."

Alfwen now knows Walter is dead, possibly murdered. He demands vengeance from the sister he wronged so long ago. What will she do?

Swein is a Master Cook, generous and proudly independent, the youngest of a loving family and heir to a powerful crusader and a witch. When he rescues a strange girl from the river, even Swein cannot foresee the dangers and adventures he and Alfwen will need to overcome.

Facing down outlaws, bullies, potential poisoners, a corrupt priest, and brutal knights, Swein fights with Alfwen to recover her lands and title as Lady de Harne in her quest to find justice for Walter. But can they rescue each other from a deadly conspiracy? And will their marriage of convenience ever truly become one of love?