The brunt of responsibility falls on the eldest, Sybilla. The middle sister, Cecily hides her gentle nature beneath her wimple; it is thought she will take the vows of a nun when the time comes. The youngest, Lady Alys Foxe, is resentful of the new authority of her eldest sister, particularly her insistence Alys marry, regardless of Alys' wishes, and no matter how horrible the prospective bridegrooms from which she must choose. An old folk tale states that a couple that encounters one another in the ancient stones of the Foxe Ring are fated to be mated. Rather than wed any of the insipid or foul-tempered men her sister has presented, Alys vows to spend the night in the ring of stones and marry the first man she encounters there. His very presence will make the union a fact.

A man does come, a man who has been beaten near death. Piers Mallory is desperate to reach King Edward and keep his evil stepmother and her vile son from stealing his father's lands. The last thing he needs is a tag-along young woman in rich and impractical clothing. Her addle-pated insistence that they are married is interrupted when her pet monkey attacks and things go from bad to worse in a hurry.

Heather Grothaus has given a new twist to medieval romance. Funny, brave and fascinating, her characters glow against the backdrop of a clever storyline. She brings in interesting and seldom-used elements of the time period and creates a rich and compelling tale. I look forward to Cecily and Sybilla's stories when their turns come!

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