'Heretics is a novel of forbidden love, set against the backdrop of the Hundred Years’ War and the Inquisition. It follows the point of view of Tom, an English orphan boy and atheist who fights the French as a bowman. Wounded in battle, he flees to the town of Auch where he disguises himself as a Frenchman. In a tavern, he meets Claire, the daughter of a former priest, who is to be married to the knight Guillaume, and who has snuck out of her house dressed in her father’s clothes to escape her plight. When Claire’s father and sister fall under the suspicion of the inquisitors, Claire’s marriage is hastened to keep the good family name. Tom and Claire form a closer bond and sneak away to be with each other. However, the romance is stopped short when Guillaume discovers Tom’s identity and captures him, while the inquisitors imprison the witches Gyverny and Imelda, who have been vying for Claire and her sister Eve to join their cult, and Gyverny pines for Tom’s affections.' (Publication summary)
