The Familiars - Stacey Halls

In a time of suspicion and accusation, to be a woman is the greatest risk of all

Lancashire, 1612. Fleetwood Shuttleworth is 17 years old, married and pregnant for the fourth time. But as mistress at Gawthorpe Hall, she still has no living child, and her husband Richard is anxious for an heir. Then she crosses paths by chance with Alice Gray, a young midwife, who promises to help her give birth to a healthy baby.

When Alice is drawn into the witchcraft accusations that are sweeping the north-west, Fleetwood risks everything by trying to help her. As the legendary Pendle witch trials approach and Fleetwood’s stomach continues to grow, time is running out and both their lives are at stake..