Emerald Silk — Janet Lane

Autumn, 1448 at England's Applewood horse fair in Wessex. The midnight peace is shattered when monastic knights invade the camp to reclaim a treasured chalice stolen by a Gypsy. The attack sets in motion a string of deadly pursuits, a mystery murder, and a political crisis involving the most prominent bishop in England.

In the center of the chaos, the beautiful half-Gypsy, Kadriya, yearns for true love. Raised by English nobility, she has passed the threshold of womanhood. Spurned for her mixed blood, she is now twenty and longs for acceptance. With one foot planted firmly in each of her ethnic shorelines, Kadriya struggles to find her place in the world. Teraf, an impetuous Gypsy tribal king of surpassing charm, proposes she choose her Romani legacy. When Kadriya accepts, she starts a wild journey that challenges her loyalties and tests her courage.

This historical adventure unfolds when Kadriya arrives at the horse fair, where Teraf will announce their betrothal. Kadriya stands at his side, basking in the warmth of her realized dream.

The dream becomes a nightmare, though, when Teraf is accused of stealing an emerald chalice and a powerful knight, John Wynter, delivers her fiancé to the gallows. Sir John hates foreigners, but it is this man alone who holds the key to Kadriya's freedom. His bigotry blinds him, and if this fierce knight cannot regain his vision, he may fail in his duty. This rousing adventure is as tantalizing as the arousing love story within for, in a single bell's toll, their life and happiness rest on finding the power of love -- and one elusive chalice.