The Lionheart Cross

"Make not Thy dwelling afar from us, O God. Lest they assail us that hate us without cause. For Thou hast rejected them, O God. Let not their foot trample upon Thy holy inheritance. Chasten us Thyself in Thy good pleasure, But give us not up to the nations." It is a vow that resounds throughout history. A 14th century survivor Lady Clare escapes marauders, Muslim troops at the siege of Jerusalem and the fall of Acre, the French Inquisition, the wiles of the English court, famine and the war between England and Scotland. Clare of Rouen and her family are gifted farriers. Their prized possession is The Lionheart Cross, King Richard's crusading standard blessed by the pope, awarded to her great-grandfather Jean-Pierre. Clare takes on a boy's identity to join the Templars as a squire and journeys to Jerusalem where she meets Knight Owen Sinclair. This is historical fiction at its best and, yes, it all really happened in the span of a lifetime!