جاسوسی برای نجات‌دهنده (معمای اوون آرچر)

It is late spring in the year of our Lord 1370, and Owen Archer is anxious to leave Wales for home. His mission for the Duke of Lancaster complete, he attempts to arrange safe passage on a ship sailing for England—but the hanging of a stonemason interrupts his plans. On the surface, it appears the young man was driven to suicide by a broken heart, but to Owen the signs all point to murder. As his investigation stretches on, however, Owen finds himself drawn into the influence of the leader of a Welsh rebellion whose manifesto speaks to his heart, and a choice is offered to him: join or die. Meanwhile, at home in York, Owen’s wife, Lucie, is troubled by rumors that her husband’s long absence is permanent—as well as threats by a customer who claims she was poisoned by a physic from the Wilton apothecary. And while her husband remains distant, Lucie will be sorely tempted by the attentions of a friend’s steward, even as she uncovers a shattering betrayal in her own household . . . On a May day that hinted at summer, such a day on which the people of York rejoiced in opening their doors to the warm, fresh air and found excuses to walk along the river in the sunshine, or to walk out onto the Strays to check on their grazing animals, Lucie Wilton and her adopted son, Jasper, were shut up in the apothecary, staring down at the mound of dried herbs a customer had just returned. Owen Archer, ex-soldier and spy, is preparing to depart Wales, his work for John of Gaunt completed. Increasingly desperate, she accepts the company of a stranger, who proves invaluable when they face danger.Angered by Owen's prolonged absence, aware of malicious rumours, John Thoresby, Archbishop of York, orders his return.