Dark Deceit — Cathie Dunn

Murder. Betrayal. Hope. On his return from battle at Lincoln, Geoffrey de Mortagne, under-sheriff of Gloucester and spy for the Empress Matilda, assists a dying knight caught in an ambush. Promising to look after the welfare of the knight's only daughter, Geoffrey stays at her manor, investigating the murder. Keen to join the Empress on her progress through England, he is torn between his oath and his duty. Left to defend her manor following her father's death, Alleyne de Bellac reluctantly accepts Geoffrey's support. As she doesn't trust the taciturn stranger, she asks Will d'Arques, an old friend, for help. But loyalties change. Her life in danger and her inheritance at stake, Alleyne must decide which man to trust. Discover England and Normandy divided by a brutal civil war, where vows are broken as allegiances waver.