title: Forbidden
author: De Melo, C.
description: England 1127:  Three year old Gwen, a servant’s daughter at the Cluniac monastery in Lewes, finds an abandoned male infant in a basket.  Prior Bartholomew initially believes it is the act of a ruined village maid, until he finds an exquisite gold and ruby crucifix hidden in the baby’s swaddling clothes.  The special infant is given the name Nicodemus (Nick) and is raised alongside Jeremy, the son of his wet nurse.
  A few years pass and a mysterious benefactor appears at the monastery with a large sum of money, instructing Bartholomew to spare no expense for Nick’s education and training.  The boys grow up amidst the brethren with the goal of becoming Templar Knights and defenders of the True Faith.  When the papal bull for the Second Crusade is issued, the overly zealous Jeremy is ready, but Nick is torn between duty and his forbidden desire for Gwen, who has blossomed into a stunning young woman.
  Nick departs England on a quest to fight the Infidel and forget the woman who constantly haunts his thoughts, but Fate had other plans.  On the journey he meets the wealthy and powerful Lord Richard Fitzwilliam of Kent, who eventually hands Nick the key to unlock the secrets of his true identity and allow him to take his rightful place in English society.
  From the feudal nobility of Medieval England to the exciting recapture of Lisbon from the Moors and the bloody battlefields of the exotic East, Forbidden is a tale of Honor, Desire, Denial, Love and Destiny, which can sometimes be cruel…