Charade The

Whispered confessions of earthly guilt . . . sulfur breath waits . . . Of this and this alone is Caleb Taylor sure: only the sulfurous breath of hell awaits his death. But, perhaps in the mean time, he can appease the Lord of Heaven with his works. In a vain attempt to pay for his terrible debts, Caleb spends twelve years of his life in ministry to the God he fears most of all. But it is not enough. As the guilt weighs on his heart, his visage of perfection cracks and it is only through constant attention that he is able to hold back the terrible secret that would ruin his career as the Curate of Emriville. Scorned and rejected by the people of the town for the sins of her parents, Elizabeth Mede quietly bears the guilt that terrorizes her; until one cold day when she stumbles across the curate in the middle of a snow covered meadow. In the meadow the two find solace in each other's company, and for the first time it looks like things are going to continue as they always had. Then one day the king's man came. The upcoming visit of the King and Queen has the town abuzz. But not everyone is so happy. Caleb sits in agony wondering if he will be able to keep the secret from the Queen he had once professed to love, and Elizabeth tries to fade into the background even as she is constantly pursued by the Queen's cousin. As time passes, secrets surface and not a single person is left untouched or unchanged.