The King's Falcon

Download or read book The King's Falcon written by Stella Riley and published by . This book was released on 2015-05-13 with total page 618 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A tale of war and witchcraft ... plots and playhouses ... love and loyalty.Following his coronation in Scotland, Charles ll leads an army south to reclaim his throne but the dream ends in a crushing defeat at Worcester, leaving no alternative but flight. With little more than the clothes on their backs, Ashley Peverell and Francis Langley flee to Paris where Ashley, known to some as The Falcon, resumes his covert work for the King.Beautiful, stubborn and street-wise, Athenais de Galzain has risen from the slums of Paris to become the Marais Theatre's leading actress. Unfortunately, this brings her to the attention of the Marquis d'Auxerre - an influential nobleman of unsavoury reputation who is accustomed to taking what he wants.While the Prince's Fronde turns the city into a battle-ground, Francis is bullied into helping his sister, Celia, obtain a divorce from Eden Maxwell. Meanwhile, in London, Eden watches Cromwell's rise to unopposed power and begins to question the cause he has been serving for a decade.From the first, Ashley and Athenais are drawn together with the force of two stars colliding; a force which Ashley, conscious of the frequency with which he is required to risk his life, cannot deny but resolves to conceal. He has only two priorities; his work for Charles ll and his determination to protect Athenais from the Marquis. Both are to test him to the limits.The King's Falcon follows the Cavaliers' last crusade and their subsequent bitter, poverty-stricken exile whilst also going behind the scenes at the Theatre du Marais. There is danger, intrigue and romance in this sequel to The Black Madonna and Garland of Straw.