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It is 1660. The King is back, but the wounds of the Civil War remain. In rural Westmorland, artist Alice Ibbetson has become captivated by the rare Lady's Slipper orchid growing on the land of recently converted Quaker, Richard Wheeler.
But others are equally captivated by the orchid's strange beauty. A local medicine woman is seduced by the Lady's Slipper's mysterious medicinal powers, while Sir Geoffrey Fisk, Alice's patron and a former comrade-in-arms of Wheeler, sees the plant as a way to repair his ailing fortunes.
Vivid, gripping and intensely atmospheric, The Lady's Slipper is a novel about beauty, faith, love and loyalty.
Set in a rural village, in turbulent times, with several powerful characters, including.....
Alice, still in mourning for her young sister, becomes obsessed with the idea that she is the only person who can save The Lady's Slipper and breed more for the orchid's future.
Thomas - Alice's husband who was kind enough to marry Alice and take on her young sister, Flora.
Wheeler, former soldier who has given up his luxurious lifestyle and vowed to live as a peaceful Quaker.
Sir Geoffrey Fisk, patron to Alice and land owner in the village. He has history with Wheeler.
Stephen, Sir Geoffrey's son who has not been quite the son he wanted.
Alice, caught up in the grief of losing her dear sister, steals the only Lady's Slipper growing on the land of her neighbour Richard Wheeler, but she is not the only one interested in the orchid.
So begins a series of fateful events caused by the residents of Westmorland, which include adultery, a murder, and one of the villagers, wrongly, being sentenced to the gallows for the murder. Each have their own selfish intentions, and little regard for each other's well-being or fate. It was quite disturbing how little regard these characters had, for their own people, at times but made for a gripping read.
It was very interesting to read the comparisons between Quakers and the gentry and how their beliefs and lifestyles differed.
The author is a costume designer and this comes through in her writing with fabulous description of the clothing of the period and the difference in dress from the kitchen maid, to the Quakers to the Lord of the Manor. I really enjoyed the detail the author used to describe the sights, sounds and flavours of the period. At times I almost felt I was there and got caught up in the frightening, out of control situations that characters were finding themselves in.
Behind the beautiful cover and delicate title lies a powerful story not to be missed.
5 out of 5 for me!
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