Book Title: The Queen’s Scribe
Series: Sea and Stone Chronicles
Author: Amy Maroney
Publication Date: April 25, 2023
Publisher: Artelan Press
Page Length: 388
Genre: Historical fiction
The Queen’s Scribe
Amy Maroney
Blurb:
A broken promise. A bitter conflict. And a woman’s elusive chance to love or die.
1458. Young Frenchwoman Estelle de Montavon sails to Cyprus imagining a bright future as tutor to a princess. Instead, she is betrayed by those she loves most—and forced into a dangerous new world of scheming courtiers, vicious power struggles, and the terrifying threat of war.
Determined to flee, Estelle enlists the help of an attractive and mysterious falconer. But on the eve of her escape, fortune’s wheel turns again. She gains entry to Queen Charlotta’s inner circle as a trusted scribe and interpreter, fighting her way to dizzying heights of influence.
Enemies old and new rise from the shadows as Estelle navigates a royal game of cat and mouse between the queen and her powerful half-brother, who wants the throne for himself.
When war comes to the island, Estelle faces a brutal reckoning for her loyalty to the queen. Will the impossible choice looming ahead be her doom—or her salvation?
With this richly-told story of courage, loyalty, and the sustaining power of love, Amy Maroney brings a mesmerizing and forgotten world to vivid life. The Queen’s Scribe is a stand-alone novel in the Sea and Stone Chronicles collection.
Praise for the Sea and Stone Chronicles:
“Island of Gold is a nimbly told story with impeccable pacing.”
—Historical Novel Society, Editor’s Choice Review
“Sea of Shadows is stunning. A compelling tale of love, honor, and conviction.”
—Reader’s Favorite Review
Amy Maroney is the author of the award-winning Miramonde Series, the story of a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern day scholar on her trail.
Buy Links:
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Universal Link (if you have it): https://mybook.to/QueensScribe
Author Bio:
Amy Maroney studied English Literature at Boston University and worked for many years as a writer and editor of nonfiction. She lives in Oregon, U.S.A. with her family. When she’s not diving down research rabbit holes, she enjoys hiking, dancing, traveling, and reading.
Amy is the author of The Miramonde Series, an Amazon-bestselling historical mystery trilogy about a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern-day scholar on her trail. Amy’s award-winning historical adventure/romance series, Sea and Stone Chronicles, is set in medieval Rhodes and Cyprus.
An enthusiastic advocate for independent publishing, Amy is a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors and the Historical Novel Society.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://www.amymaroney.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wilaroney
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amymaroneywrites/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/amyloveshistory/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Amy-Maroney/author/B01LYHPXEO
Book Excerpt:
Summer 1457
Nicosia, Cyprus
When the steward announced Estelle, the murmurs and stares of the others in the antechamber faded away. The doors shut behind her with a soft thump.
On a dais, the black-clad King Jean lolled in a massive gilt-encrusted throne, his slippered feet resting on a leopard-skin rug. Queen Eleni reclined on a fur-draped settee, clad in a gown of brilliant violet silk. Her nose protruded sharply from her thin face, and her full-lipped mouth was unsmiling.
On the other side of the king sat a young, delicately built woman dressed in black. Enormous kohl-rimmed eyes dominated her features.
Princess Charlotte, Estelle realized. How sad she looks.
Ranged along the wall were the courtiers who had already been announced, talking amongst themselves.
Two men dressed in black velvet doublets approached the king, whispering in his ear. One of them gestured at Estelle.
“Approach!” he ordered. “The king wishes to speak with you.”
“Our new French jewel has arrived.” The king’s voice was so thin and languid Estelle had a hard time hearing it, and his French was oddly accented. “Welcome to our court.”
His face was puffy and red-cheeked, his eyes hooded by heavy brows.
Estelle sank so low into her curtsy that she struggled to rise again. “Your Grace.” She turned to the queen and curtsied again, more smoothly this time. “Your Grace,” she repeated. Then she did it one more time in the princess’s direction.
After another whispered consultation with his advisors, the king sat up a little straighter.
“Soon you shall teach my daughter proper French,” he said. “Our court has strayed far from its roots in recent years, I’m sorry to say. But we must never forget the Lusignan dynasty has flourished thanks to our French blood.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” She still did not understand why, with a French king for a father, the princess would need instruction in the language.
Be patient. You’ll learn the answer soon enough.
“Greet the princess in your pretty French,” he commanded. “Show her how it’s meant to be spoken.”
“I am happy to meet you, Princess Charlotte.”
The young woman’s gaze settled on Estelle. She did not respond.
“Princess Charlotta has neither the desire nor inclination to speak that language,” the queen said in rapid Greek, training a sharp look at Estelle. “We shall have to find another use for you, though if you can’t speak Greek, you’ll be of little value here.”
“Perhaps I do want to learn French, Mamá.” The princess’s voice was high and childlike. But then, she was barely fifteen.
Before the queen could reply, one of the king’s advisors addressed Estelle in stilted, nearly incomprehensible French.
“How was your voyage from Rhodes, mademoiselle?”
“Aside from a pirate attack, it was uneventful, my lord,” Estelle said in Greek, remembering a courtier’s counsel to use the language during her audience with the queen. Sweat trickled down her back.
The queen laughed, studying Estelle with new interest.
“Your Greek is quite good for a Latin girl. If you can learn our Cypriot dialect, too, you might prove yourself useful here after all.”
The king clucked his tongue, doggedly reverting to French. “There’s not much to recommend the common tongue. It’s a strange soup of languages.”
“The fact that all Cypriots speak it is reason enough to recommend it,” his wife retorted.
The next courtier was announced, diverting the royal family’s attention. Estelle backed away from the dais, finding a place along the wall next to a young woman dressed in the Cypriot style. Her thudding heart slowed.
“You did well.” The woman spoke in Greek, fiddling with her gown’s high neckline. Estelle spied the bulge of a jewel under the thin fabric.
“It’s kind of you to say, but I could not be sure, myself.”
620 word excerpt from
The Queen's Scribe
Amy Maroney
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