By right of arms

Robyn Carr

By Right of Arms is brimming with all the passion, treachery, and romance Robyn Carr's fans have come to expect from her. This story of fourteenth-century battle and intrigue comes from the lands of Aquitaine. Under the rule of King Edward DI and his unyielding son the Black Prince, the English domains expand to the region and claim the stronghold of De la Noye from the French. Among De la Noye's many knights and serfs seized by the conquering Sir Hyatt is the lovely Lady Aurelie -- sudden widow of Giles de Pourvre, the weak and strangely obsessive husband she came to as a child bride. Recognizing in Aurelie's defiance the courage and discretion her loyalty has given her, Hyatt weds the vanquished lady as a means of drawing the forces of English and French together in the war-torn province. Aurelie is forced by the betrayal of her father either to marry the knight or be homeless. Thus, she gathers her strength and faithful servants around her, unwittingly aiding Hyatt in his determination to keep De la Noye's land profitable and people respected under his rule. As De la Noye slowly regains its power, Aurelie and Hyatt work to build a relationship of trust. Despite the constant threat of Hyatt's mistress and illegitimate son, with whom Aurelie is forced to share her home, her discovery of a new kind of marriage, through Hyatt's touch, brings her to seek his love. Yet Hyatt, well versed in the treacheries of passion's deceits and betrayals, has much to overcome before he can open his heart. When trouble stirs for the couple among the English forces and a rival knight joins with Hyatt's past to destroy him, Aurelie and Hyatt learn their final lesson of trust as they work together to defend their home and their love. Once again Robyn Carr has captured the trials and triumphs of the distant past to deliver her readers an exciting story of intrigue and love.