An entertaining departure for this acclaimed historical novelist , this is set in the late13th century - a period of great castle building.

When Dame Constance decides it is time to upgrade her rather basic fortress, she ushers in a period of upheaval which sets the normally smooth running institution into turmoil. Added to which there is the arrival of her son's new bride-to-be who turns out to be rather more feisty than she had bargained for. Finally, a mysterious number of accidents look set to impede the builders' progress....

A delightful novel with memorable characters and it will have resonance for anyone who has ever had the builders in; an experience as disruptive back then as it is today.