Born with the ability to hear thoughts and feelings when there
is no sound, Margaretta Morgan’s strange gift sees her apprenticed to Doctor
John Dee, mathematician, astronomer, and alchemist. Using her secret link with
the hidden side and her master’s brilliance, Margaretta faces her first murder
mystery. Margaretta and Dee must uncover the evil bound to unravel the court of
Bloody Mary.
The year is 1555. This is a time ruled by fear. What secrets await to be pulled from the water?
The Conjuror’s Apprentice takes real people and true events in 1555, into which G J Williams weaves a tale of murder and intrigue. Appealing to readers of crime and well-researched historical fiction alike, this is the first in a series that will follow the life, times, plots, and murders of the Tudor Court.
Trigger Warnings:
Descriptions of bodies and the injuries that brought about their
death.
Threat of torture; description of a man who has been tortured.
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EXCERPT
John Dee stared at the letter, then at Cecil. ‘The letter must have been penned by someone who has sight of this household – and the same person who planted the letter on Jonas.’
The master of the house nodded and put his head in his hands, propelling Mildred to cross the room and put her hand on his shoulder. He glanced up and patted her fingers. ‘Are you quite sure what you read, my dear?’
‘Yes. You heard the words yourself. The letter is to someone who wants testimony of your movements. The scrivener speaks of your visits to Lady Elizabeth. Each one is listed. They even know you are due to visit her again this week.’ Her lips pinched together in anxiety. ‘They state that you hide a book of Elizabeth’s treachery to protect her.’ Mildred looked at John Dee. ‘Why would they make up such stories of us?’
But next to her, Cecil did not move. He kept staring at the wood of his desk, his brow crinkled in thought. A slight flush spread across his cheeks.
Margaretta shifted in her seat, the feelings rising inside her. Dread. Something you’ve done. A secret. You imagine being arrested. You are hiding something. She leaned forward, touched John Dee’s sleeve, and whispered ‘Mae e’n cuddio rhywbeth.’ He hides something.
Cecil’s eyes darted to her. ‘I do not speak my forefathers’ tongue with ease. What did you say?’
Thank the Lord, John Dee stepped in. ‘She says she must away to the kitchen and her chores soon.’ He leaned forward and dropped his voice to a cajoling purr. ‘Is there anything you have secreted, my friend? Better we know.’
Cecil sat up straight and cleared his throat. His wife’s fingers tightened on his shoulder as she looked down, beginning to frown. Her husband looked at the window as if searching for the right words. ‘I…I…hold a book belonging to the Lady Elizabeth. Nothing treasonous. Just her thoughts.’ He swallowed and looked to Dee, a faint beseeching in his eyes.
The room was silent.
Panic. Confusion. It is you, Lady Mildred. Anger.
John Dee leaned forward again, keeping the low, calm voice. ‘Where is this book?’
‘Mildred’s library. Well hidden among the religious texts.’ At this, Lady Cecil gave a short, sharp cry and snatched her hand away from her husband. She walked to the window and put her hands on the glass. They could see her kirtle move with her fearful breathing. Then she turned and faced him, her face pale and fixed in fury. ‘You brought secrets here and put us all in danger? Have your senses left you, husband?’ Her voice was slow and cold.
In an instant, he was on his feet, rebutting her challenge with indignation. ‘No, Mildred. I was showing loyalty to a fragile girl wracked with fears. She is under constant suspicion.
So, when she was summoned to court to attend her sister’s birthing, she dared not take it with her, nor leave it behind. I am the only one she trusts. What could I do? Abandon her?’
‘And what is in this book, William?’ asked Dee.
‘Her thoughts on regency. She speaks of a fair rule; of religious tolerance rather than the burning we live with today; of making this land great again and not a puppet of Spain.’
Cecil dropped his head forward and his voice fell to a murmur. ‘She speaks of a golden age in which men thrive, not fear life.’
Dee sighed. ‘So, she speaks of being queen.’ He waited until Cecil nodded. ‘So, with Mary expecting her own son to succeed her, it is a tome of treason.’ He gave a small laugh. ‘Making my conjuring look pale in comparison.’
Cecil bristled. ‘No. It is a volume of hope. The only treason lies with those who would put a Spanish prince as our ruler.’
He gave a low growl. ‘For the love of God, they circle court like hawks awaiting the death of Mary and her babe so they can grasp power while England mourns.’
John Dee opened his palms in question. ‘Mary herself made Philip King of England. Not a prince. Not her consort. A king.’
Cecil wheeled round. ‘Elizabeth is the rightful heir to the throne. Not a Spanish puppet of the Catholic Pope. A woman of the true faith…Protestantism.’
‘So, if Elizabeth aspires to be queen, she is the single threat to the supporters of Philip.’ John Dee pointed an accusing finger. ‘And that book sets out her ambition.’ He paused. ‘That book will take her to the Tower and her death for treason… and someone in your household knows of it. They also know your involvement.’
From the window, Lady Cecil spoke. ‘And her treasonous book is in this house. And somebody knows it.’ She turned to look through the glass onto the bustling street below. ‘May God save us.’
After a career as a business
psychologist for city firms, G.J. Williams has returned to her first passion –
writing tales of murder, mystery, and intrigue. Her psychology background, melded
with a love of medieval history, draws her to the twists and turns of the human
mind, subconscious powers, and the dark-side of people who want too much.
She lives between Somerset and London in the UK and is regularly found writing on a train next to a grumpy cat and a bucket of tea.
My pleasure.
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