title: A Parliament of Spies: A Mystery (Abbess Hildegard of Meaux)
author:  Cassandra Clark 
description: Wow, there is no shortage of plot devices in Clarks fourth, jam-packed Abbess Hildegard historical mystery. Murder, mayhem, molestationnot to mention both political and romantic intrigueall play a part as Hildegard travels to London with the Archbishop of York to spy on Richard IIs enemies in Parliament. Before she departs, a man is murdered, and her dark journey, undertaken amid the threat of a French invasion, continues to deepen along the way. When her long-presumed-dead husband turns up claiming both her estate and his spousal privileges, she is rescued by a fellow spy, who appears to be working for the other side. Drawn into a passionate romantic entanglement with the mysterious Rivera, she is poised on a dangerous precipice that may change the course of her life. Hildegard, distinguished by her complexity of character, is a medieval sleuth on a personal as well as a professional mission. --Margaret Flanagan
zlib_text: 
  
  
  From gentleman to rogue
  
  
  Who had her former fiancé become?
  
  
  Captured by pirates off the Virginia coast, Lady Cassandra Shepherd is shocked
  to see in the blue eyes of Captain Rose the young man she loved and lost. What
  has caused him to exchange his honor for a chance at revenge? But he needs her
  help. Dare Cas believe the captain can reclaim his life as an upstanding
  gentleman and with it, her hand in marriage?
  
  
  “An exciting spy novel with a Gothic twist.”  
  —RT Book Reviews on Courting Danger with Mr. Dyer
  
  
  “The Governess Tales series starter is charming.”  
  —RT Book Reviews on The Cinderella Governess
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “You wish to discuss surrender?” he asked.
  
  
  “I do.”
  
  
  Captain Rose approached her with long strides, and Cassandra shifted back
  until she hit the side of one trunk and could go no farther. She braced
  herself, waiting for him to knock the pistols aside and press his wide body
  against hers. He didn’t, but clasped his hands behind his back, the stance
  stretching his s