The Familiars: A Novel
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About this book
From the Author of the Sunday Times Bestseller Mrs. England! In 1612 Lancaster England the hunt for witches has reached a fever pitch But in a time of suspicion and accusation to be a woman may be the greatest risk of all. Fleetwood Shuttleworth the mistress of Pendle Hills Gawthorpe Hall is with child. Anxious to produce an heir she is distraught to find a letter from her physician that warns her husband she will not survive this pregnancy. Devastated Fleetwood wanders the estate grounds where she catches a young woman poaching. Alice Gray claims she is a local midwife and promises to help Fleetwood deliver a healthy baby. But a witch-obsessed frenzy sweeps the countryside. Even woodland creatures or familiars are thought to be dark companions of the unholy. And Alice soon stands accused of witchcraft. Time is running out. The witch trials are about to begin. With both their lives at stake Fleetwood must prove Alices innocence. Only they know the truth. Set against the real Pendle witch trials this compelling novel draws its characters from historical figures as it explores the lives of seventeenth-century women. Ultimately it raises the question: Was witch hunting really just women hunting?
