Out of the courts of twelfth-century England strode the legendary figure of Richard of England - leading his knights onto the Saracen battlefields - inspired by a vision of the Holy Land.Here is the story of the Soldier-King and the Third Crusade - of his strange, ill-fated union with Berengaria, Princess of Navarre - of his mother, the She-Wolf, Eleanor of Aquitaine who loved her son with a frantic, possessive pride. And, above all, here is the story of the minstrel whose life was linked with that of the King - the story of Blondel - the Lute Player...It follows the success of "The Concubine", "The King's Pleasure", and "Eleanor the Queen" published by Torque in September 2006, each has sold over 10,000 copies. Norah Lofts was a bestselling author. It has reviews also in women's weekly and monthly magazines, to include "Vogue", "Red", "The Lady", "Glamour" and "Woman's Own".