Beatrice de Grey wrestles with her future. She could return to the convent, but this choice has little appeal. She should go back to Normandy and care for her father, but their relationship is fraught with tension after years of neglect. She could stay with her brother and his wife, Helena, but she will be naught but a burden. 

Robert Saville had been told that the king will soon be after him to wed. He is at the age when he should be siring an heir. He meets the perfect mate, Beatrice, at her brother’s wedding. His offer of marriage changes her future. He opens possibilities she hasn’t considered in eight years. But the promise of a future that could bring love and security is accompanied by expectations; expectations she can never meet. Beatrice has worried about this from the moment Sir Robert articulated them.  

Now, the bishop tells her that he is pleased there is a holy woman in Lincoln. Her dear sister-in-law, Helena, helped her prepare to fulfill the responsibilities of chatelaine, but to be a “holy woman” raises a specter far surpassing anything she can achieve. Ahead of her is a mountain she can never climb. After all, she is naught but a simple girl fresh from the nunnery. But this isn’t about human limitations. 

The ancient one explains how she has been prepared for her life’s mission. To yield to the Spirit is to realize the manifestations. Inside her is a holy woman, and she will make a profound difference in people’s lives.