>
Praise for the novels of JOAN WOLF
“Especially appealing…”
—Booklist on White Horses
“Wolf spins a very entertaining love story.”
—Romantic Times on White Horses
“Romance writing at its very best.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Guardian
“Wolf…leaps into the contemporary romantic suspense arena with this smart, compelling read.”
—Publishers Weekly on Silverbridge
“A quick-moving, enchanting tale…An excellent choice for readers who want an exciting epic.”
—Booklist on Daughter of the Red Deer
“Captivating…endearing…heartwarming…Wolf’s assured storytelling is simply the best.”
—BookPage on Royal Bride
“Fast paced, highly readable…”
—Library Journal on The Gamble
“An entertaining and thought-provoking read.”
—Washington Post Book World
on The Reindeer Hunters
Also by JOAN WOLF
WHITE HORSES
To the Castle
Joan Wolf
For Joe, the bedrock of my existence.
Contents
One
The funeral mass for Sybilla de Bonvile was held in the cathedral of Lincoln on a day of high clouds and gusty wind. Nell de Bonvile walked with her parents behind the coffin of her only sister as it was carried by six knights up the aisle to the altar rail. The archbishop himself waited with holy water to sprinkle on it before he turned with majestic slowness to ascend to the altar where he would begin the funeral mass.
Nell knelt next to her mother and listened to the familiar Latin words, her eyes on the coffin that contained the eighteen-year-old remains of Sybilla. She felt immense sorrow engulf her as she thought of her sister’s life, blown out like a candle by a fever and coughing illness.
If only they had called upon Sister Helen, perhaps she might have been saved, Nell thought. But Sister Helen, one of the nuns at
