Based on an astonishing true story, THE WINTER MANTLE reaches from the turbulent reign of William the Conqueror to the high drama of the crusades... Fresh from his defeat of King Harold at the Battle of Hastings, William of Normandy has returned home in triumph, accompanied by the English nobles he cannot trust to leave behind. For Waltheof of Huntingdon, however, rebellion is not at the forefront of his thoughts. From the moment he catches sight of Judith, daughter of the King's formidable sister, he knows he has found his future wife. But is the match between Saxon earl and Norman lady one made in heaven or hell?