The Alterpiece: 1 (Cross and the Crown)

The Cross and the Crown Series Book 1 It is 1535 and in the tumultuous years of King Henry VIIIs break from Rome the religious houses of England are being seized by force. Twenty-year-old Catherine Havens is a foundling and the adopted daughter of the prioress of the Priory of Mount Grace in a small Yorkshire village. Catherine like her adoptive mother has a gift for healing and she is widely sought and admired for her knowledge. However the kings divorce dashes Catherines hopes for a place at court and she reluctantly takes the veil. When the priorys costly altarpiece goes missing Catherine and her friend Ann Smith find themselves under increased suspicion. King Henry VIIIs soldiers have not had their fill of destruction and when they return to Mount Grace to destroy the priory Catherine must choose between the sacred calling of her past and the man who may represent her countrys future.