Bess has moved from house to house as companion to a series of increasingly difficult older women. Her current position has narrowed her world to tangled embroidery thread, small household tribulations, and dealing with her mistress’s whims and changes of mood. She treasures the few hours she gets to herself on Tuesday afternoons.
When Hereswith and Bess begin to talk, they find each other pleasant company in a way neither of them expected. Those Tuesdays with a lavish tea spread and drinking chocolate become a highlight of the week. As they talk, both of them begin to wonder what the world might look like if things were a little different.
When one of Albion’s Council suggests Hereswith’s skills might have a wider scope, neither Hereswith nor Bess know what might come from it. Not for the land, not for Albion, and certainly not what it might mean for both of them. Are they brave enough to change the world?
Join Hereswith and Bess in 1854 for a f/f (sapphic) romance full of drinking chocolate, Victorian delights, and growing love and mutual support. There’s the utter delight of a trip to London’s Crystal Palace, and a social triumph or two for both of them. The first book in the Council Mysteries series, Claiming the Tower can be read in any order.
Celia Lake spends her days as a librarian in the Boston (MA) metro area, and her nights and weekends at home happily writing, reading, and researching.
Born and raised in Massachusetts to British parents, she naturally embraced British spelling, classic mysteries, and the Oxford comma before she learned there were any other options.