May 1453: Lemster, the English Marches
When thirteen-year-old Thomas Berrington is attacked by a group of boys on his way home he believes it is just another beating he must take--until one of the boys is found dead, and Thomas is accused of the murder. Fighting to save his reputation and his life Thomas is distracted by his feelings toward a girl his father would disapprove of: the pretty and resourceful Bel Brickenden. Together they uncover a web of deceit and lies to reveal the sad truth behind the murder. Meanwhile, another kind of death has come to Lemster--one that cannot be solved by reason alone. A Death of Innocence is the first of three prequels relating the story of how Thomas Berrington leaves England to begin his travels to Moorish al-Andalus.