The morning of the enthronement, Sunday 6th July 1214, was as bright a July day as anyone could remember in Durham. The sun reflected off the pale yellow walls of castle and cathedral, making them sparkle like gold, and the flowers in the garden turned their faces to track its progress across the sky.
Brown female blackbirds twittered angrily at their jet black mates, whose yellow beaks were crammed full of worms and grubs to fee the chicks. Dart-shaped swallows wheeled in the sky, enjoying the thermal currents generated by warmth reflecting off the stone buildings. Blue tits and sparrows hopped their way across the courtyard looking for morsels of food.
All was right with the world.
Suddenly, a heartrending scream pierced the tranquillity of the quiet before the storm of activity which would introduce the new Prince-Bishop to his flock.
Ann Pitt, eager to escape the most unwelcome attentions of Sir Henry Fitzjohn, bodyguard to John de Grey, Bishop elect of Durham, had wandered into the chapel on the ground floor of the castle, close to the old tower. It was modestly sized, perhaps 40 feet long by a little more than half that in width. Little ornament marred the simplicity of the place of private worship and she found it restful after having come unpleasantly close to being ravished by a man twice her age.
A third of the way along the room, from the door at the East end near the altar, were two wooden screens. Behind the second, on the right, she found it. The body of an elderly man she'd never seen before. But his features were similar to those of her erstwhile persecutor and he was dressed in the finery of a bishop. It was the man whose desire for a grand tomb had brought father and the rest of them all the way from London. That he'd need it sooner than expected flitted through Ann's mind, as her involuntary high-pitched cry broke the silence.
So that's the face father wanted to discuss, she thought to herself as she waited for a response to her cries. Hysteria wasn't her way. Rational thought was. It was a handsome face - without the edge of cruelty of the man who was called Fitzjohn. Were they related? Would she ever know. Did she even care?

What readers say about the Pitt Family Saga
The French Carpenter 4*
The author captured some of the realities of life for both the common and noble people of the time (life is tough). Good and believable storyline told through it's characters experiences, that rolled along nicely.
The Templar Pitt 3.9*
The Templar Pitt throws a different light on a society about to enter the Late Middle Ages - and one which is much more sophisticated than we give it credit for. Above all the book gives a voice to a class of person too often ignored in historical fiction - the artisans who literally built their world.
The Goldsmith's Apprentice 4.8*
The story was entertaining and I was just as eager to solve the mystery and capture the real murderer as were the characters.
The book carries forward the Pitt Family saga, widening the range and depth of the characters who make up the cast of protagonists.
The Flying Mason 4.6*
I liked in this book, what I have enjoyed in the series so far ... a walk through a historical period that I otherwise would not experience - the gritty reality of life in these times for ordinary people and nobility alike. The closest tv series I have seen to this was 'The Pillars of the Earth'.
The Butcher of Marseille 5*
Well...... this was yet again another well detailed, enjoyable read. The research that the writer would have done is incredible, but even though it is detailed it is easy to follow. I can not wait to see what happens to this intriguing family. And what mystery they will unravel next.
Murder at the Tower 5*
... written in such a way bringing fictional story telling of history in a modern way to today's