Pat van Beirs

*'What am I going to do with you, my little Lady of Flanders; how are you ever going to make a Countess? The world will tear you to pieces.'

My ears are ringing. I smell the wine on my father's breath. With his hand he brushes a plait of hair from my face.

'Why didn't you die?' I shout, tears pouring from my face. 'Why did the arrows miss you? Why didn't the English hack you to pieces on the battlefield?'

Then I turn and run outside.*

Shaking off the strict expectations of court life, Marguerite roams free - learning to ride, to fence and to outwit the boys. But the Count of Flanders has plans for his wayward daughter. Will Marguerite be able to resist the combined pressure of politics, power and a foreign prince? And has she met her match in Philip, the valiant knight in shirtsleeves?

Based on the real life of Marguerite van Male (1348-1405), With a Sword in My Hand is an intense medieval adventure, and Marguerite herself is a brave, headstrong and thoroughly charming heroine.