title: The Mace and the Plume
author: Lancour, Jeanne
description: A courtly saga of love and triumph in the era of knights and kings, this is the powerful story of two young, proud women who share a common ancestry...shattered by the treachery and deceit of the men who would steal their lands. From the fief of Leauville in distant France to the court of King John, they struggle to gain the power that should be theirs...through love and marriage and the defense of their honored trust.
  
  Only one man could break the bond of trust between Cecily and Elise. Young, fiercely ambitions, the man they called Joscelin is a rogue, fighter and outcast...a man with no loyalties except to himself...a man willing to kill for the woman he loves. When Joscelin leaves Elise, bent on a mission that has no name, she struggles to destroy the memory of him...and the remnants of their great love.
  
  From the darkened pathways of the King's own forest to the stormy shores of the Cornwall coast...from the raucous streets of London to the towering parapets of Leauville, Joscelin pursues his journey from dishonor to courtly power...returning as a hero rather than an outcast...and a woman named Cecily rides by his side.