The Crusader's Widow — Margaret Brazear

Against the wishes of his wife, Isabella, Lord Philip Whyford decides to accompany King Richard the Lionheart on a crusade to the Holy Land. Isabella is devastated when, two years later, his cousin Roger returns alone with the news that Philip is dead. As Philip had no sons, Roger is his heir and he wastes no time in claiming the title and estate but as the months of mourning pass, Isabella comes to realise that he also plans to lay claim to her and he tries to force her into becoming his wife. To help his cause, he reveals to Isabella that Philip had an Eastern mistress who bore him a son. Despite this news, she still loves Philip and rejects Roger's advances vigorously until he enlists the aid of Prince John to command her to accept him. That is when things get even worse and Isabella finds herself a fugitive with little option other than to leave England. She must get away or be charged with treason and she must find out the truth about Philip's Eastern mistress and the son she bore him.