'Compelling and intriguing, this is a well-told story full of wonderful prose and surprising events. It's a vivid addition to the genre'. —RT BookReviews Shortlisted for the Impress Prize England 1660 When artist Alice Ibbetson discovers a rare orchid, the lady's-slipper, growing in a nearby wood, she is captivated by its beauty. It is the last surviving specimen and she wants to preserve it for future generations. There is only one problem - it is growing on the land of Richard Wheeler, a newly-converted Quaker, who will not allow her to touch it. Fearing for the flower's fragility, she steals the orchid, little dreaming that this seemingly simple act will set off an unstoppable chain of events - a web of intrigue that will lead to murder and exile, and change her comfortable life forever. Set in an England riven by civil war and divided loyalties the novel explores the nature of faith, and who should control the land we all inhabit. "It is a genuinely engrossing story, with characters you can get interested in." —The Mum website