She's afraid of the dark. So what is she doing out in the wilderness on a cold, cloudy night? 

She flees home to avoid certain death at the hands of the old man from the North. There is a refuge, Sir Thomas d'Ecouis, but only if he will marry her before she is caught by her pursuers. So begins the journey that takes her across England and takes her from a sheltered 16-year-old girl to a woman of 17 years, one far wiser than most. 

The Lioness of Exeter is a historical romance set in 1071 in medieval England. A charismatic Saxon, Hereward the Wake, fomented rebellion in the fenlands of East Anglia. Three Norman knights, Thomas, Geoffrey, and Robert, are commissioned by King William to join forces and defeat Hereward. The king releases the knights so they can return to their castles after the rebellion is crushed.  

She can't marry the old man from the north. But what can she possibly do to escape the betrothal, defy her father, and survive? Two naive girls execute a bold plan without understanding the ramifications. She finds herself alone and afraid walking through the dark of night in the unforgiving fens.  

Who have they found? He claims to be a poor boy from Norwich running from home to escape being sold into slavery. Aye, but the boy looks much more like a comely girl. Thomas is compelled to discover the truth. So begins their trek from the Eastern side of England to Thomas's castle near Exeter in the far southwest. 

Life outside the shelter of her father's manor is fraught with tests of character and will, dangers to be confronted, survival to be assured, and love and happiness to be discovered.  

It is unwise to prod a lioness. She is quick and armed to defend. There is strength of will and indefatigable spirit.