Familiars (First Time Trade)

<strong>In 1612 Lancaster England the hunt for witches has reached a fever pitch...</strong> <p/><strong>But in a time of suspicion and accusation to be a woman may be the greatest risk of all.</strong> <p/>Fleetwood Shuttleworth the mistress of Pendle Hill's Gawthorpe Hall is with child. Anxious to produce an heir she is distraught to find a letter from her physician that warns her husband she will not survive this pregnancy. <p/>Devastated Fleetwood wanders the estate grounds where she catches a young woman poaching. Alice Gray claims she is a local midwife and promises to help Fleetwood deliver a healthy baby. But a witch-obsessed frenzy sweeps the countryside. Even woodland creatures or familiars are thought to be dark companions of the unholy. And Alice soon stands accused of witchcraft. <p/>Time is running out. The witch trials are about to begin. With both their lives at stake Fleetwood must prove Alice's innocence. Only they know the truth. <p/>Set against the real Pendle witch trials this compelling novel draws its characters from historical figures as it explores the lives of seventeenth-century women. Ultimately it raises the question: Was witch hunting really just women hunting?