The Heretic’s Servant
Molly is servant to the Sherbourne Family and has cared for her beloved mistress, Kate, since they were both little more than children, when Kate nearly died from smallpox. Set in 1578 when Elizabeth I is on the throne of a Protestant England, the family’s continued adherence to the Catholic faith places them in grave danger. A Catholic priest, Father Makepeace (who does anything but ‘make peace’), is among them to provide spiritual guidance – most of which is unpleasantly self-interested. But Kate’s husband, it turns out, is a different kind of heretic, knowledge of which the evil Makepeace manipulates to suit his own ends and which nearly destroys the family.
Most of the action takes place within the family home, and the author is particularly effective in describing the life of a servant who, although regarded with great affection, sees all and yet is powerless to change anything. Makepeace is also particularly well drawn, and the reader can feel the hairs on the back of the neck rise whenever he is in play. A little more build-up to why the husband chooses the path he did would have been helpful, but overall, this is immersive, enjoyable, and beautifully written historical fiction.
