The King’s Inquisitor: Book Two of the Stuart Monarch Series
After a dangerous and eventful journey to bring his new bride to Scotland, James VI is convinced there are witches at work in his kingdom. He appoints young William Broune as his Inquisitor and also finds him a beautiful and wealthy prospective wife in the Lady Ruthven. But William soon realises the role of Inquisitor is both dangerous and a constant tussle with his conscience. He meets Ailsa when she’s trying to help the imprisoned witches. She challenges William to follow his heart and do the right thing, and soon he’s drawn to her rather than Lady Ruthven. This angers the king and places William in further difficulties because he’s also resisting the king’s orders to find the witches guilty. And Ailsa has her own troubles, for the nasty Baillie Seton is determined to make her his bride.
This is a second in series (after The Queen’s Almoner) related in the first person, with chapters alternating between William and Ailsa. The voices are each distinctive enough that it was surprisingly easy to move from one character to the other. I also hadn’t read the first in series, but any references to what happened before are done with a light touch, and there was no difficulty in following the story. The author brilliantly draws us into Edinburgh of the 1590s, and I could see, hear, smell, and sense its dark streets. She is to be particularly commended for resisting slipping into a 21st-century perspective: William and Ailsa, for all that they don’t want the poor witches tortured and burned, never doubt there are witches in their world. All in all, an excellent read and highly recommended.
