Amice and the Mercenary

Medieval Mistresses

by Lindsay Townsend

England in the summer of 1357 is a nervous, triumphant place. The English king holds the King of France hostage—but there are plots afoot to see this French monarch assassinated. Duke Henry begs beautiful Amice, the spice seller, for her help to counter and reveal such plots. Amice is an expert in the secrets of spices and poisons. She agrees to help for her own personal reason—revenge.But Amice must work in the glittering, dangerous world of the royal court, snubbed and mocked for her own dark-skinned beauty, until she is rescued by the notorious mercenary, Harry Swynford—charming, charismatic, and lethal.In the shifting alliances of the court, which side is Harry Swynford on? In this world of poison among the feasts, can Amice stop an assassin in time? Harry has his own games to play, and although she is powerfully attracted to him, Amice is wary. Lives—including her own—are at stake.Can their happiness last, or will their enemies tear them apart? What price revenge against true love?A Medieval Historical Romance Novella and sequel to “Mistress Angel.” It can also be read as a stand-alone story.

74 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 25, 2016

About the author

Lindsay Townsend is an English novelist with a passion for writing historical romance. Her books are published by Kensington Books, Bookstrand, Prairie Rose Publications, Audible, Ulverscroft Large Print and MuseItUp. Her earlier historical romances and romantic suspense novels are reissued through Kindle Direct.

Lindsay lives in Yorkshire, in the north of England, with her husband, Alan, and also has family in Devon. She loves singing, music, walking, reading and cooking - especially trying out old recipes.

She has been writing stories since the age of six, and has been a professional novelist for many years. Her previous books are romantic thrillers.

Reviews

[Linda Acaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was good to read a story of fully-rounded characters in a real rendition of medieval London, and I think Amice is an ideal novel-length, or even series, leading lady. She's no simpering maid beholding to the will of family, she’s a mature and thinking woman of substance, an importer of spices and sugar, skilled at creating rare and expensive sweetmeats – skills that have not only gained her a shop in her home city of London, but acquaintances in the highest echelons of society. She’s also of African descent, and her colouring proves both a boon and a barrier.

It is the exploration of discrimination and tolerance through all strata of society that I found so fascinating in this novella. Duke Henry, in his Savoy Palace on the Thames, plays host to, and holds hostage, the King of France, a heavy partaker of ‘almond dragees’ and ‘anise in confit’, spiced sweetmeats that the Duke fears can be too easily poisoned by his own, or perhaps the King’s own, staff. So sets the scene for double-dealing.

In the French retinue is Sir Gilles of Picardy, a name Amice knows from the experience of her brother to be a by-word for treachery on the battlefield, a man she intends to become close to. Instead, she is drawn to his paid oath-man, the turncoat English hedge-knight Harry Swynford, who has never forgotten, nor forgiven, his lowly upbringing. But are his honeyed words as transient as Amice’s honeyed sweetmeats?

Intrigue and misgivings spar with contempt and duplicity. Will mistrust suffocate blossoming love? If you enjoy historical romance with a dash of suspense, this is for you.