Madeleine Polland Boeken

In 575 AD, a boy joins an Irish monastery, and when his teacher goes to Gaul to restore the Church, he follows. He endures many hardships and has many adventures and eventually finds his purpose in life.

In the late 1500s, young Patrick O'Flaherty comes to the remote walls of Grainne O'Malley's pirate fortress on the west coast of Ireland, determined to enlist the aid of his heroine queen in freeing his family, prisoners of the British. "Patch" stays to become a page in Grainne's bewildering "court" and accompanies her and her men as they plunder the ships of Elizabeth I and wage bloody raids on the countryside. To Grainne, Patch represents the future of her beloved Ireland and the tragedy of all Irishmen, torn between loyalty to her cause and the fear that her resistance to the British will cost many Irish lives. Should she submit to the English Crown as the other lords, including her own husband, were doing? No matter her choice, Patch is by her side. A true story, vividly told as only Madeleine Polland can do!

Sequel to The Queen's Blessing: After Merca prevents the murder of King Malcolm, happiness still eludes her. She continues to suffer from the trauma of her early life, having witnessed the murder of her parents by the King's avenging armies. She finds solace in the Church, however, and has determined to become a nun in a local convent. That decision doesn't make her happy, but it makes her feel safe. Queen Margaret sees other things for Merca, though, and sends her to London with the King and a small retinue. She discovers a Saxon rebellion against the new Norman king underway and becomes wrapped up in it. She knows how it feels to want to kill a king . . . how will she advise her new-found Saxon friends and save the boy she has come to love?

After the Norman invasion, King Malcolm of Scotland sweeps through Northumbria leaving death, destruction . . . and orphans in his wake. He also finds a queen, Margaret, sister of Ætheling, who seeks to tame his vengeance and make reparation for the damage his sword has wielded. Two Saxon orphans, Merca and Dag, are adopted by her court, and while Dag accepts his new life and the safety it brings them, Merca is bent on revenge on the cruel King who ripped her old life from her. Merca stands in the shadow of the blessing cup that Margaret raises to the civilizing of the Scottish court. Will she learn forgiveness from her saintly Queen Margaret?