Time and Chance

Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II hold one of the best-known marriages in medieval England. Passion and ambition bind them, and both seem destined to leave a mark on history. Desire pulls them apart, though, and the trouble that brings bloodshed to their court starts elsewhere.

Thomas Becket is Henry's closest confidant. When he is raised to Archbishop of Canterbury, the friendship between king and churchman begins to bend under questions of faith and loyalty. A betrayal, perceived by one side, leads toward a royal murder that comes to look unavoidable.

This is historical fiction centred on the English crown in the twelfth century. Along the way come schemes, seductions and scandals, enough to bring down a lesser kingdom than theirs. Henry and Eleanor love power as much as they love each other, while Becket loves God above all.

The book continues the story begun in When Christ and His Saints Slept, which covers Henry II's rise to the throne. The question hanging over it is whether a friendship between a king and his archbishop can survive when faith and power collide.