Behold the Bird in Flight is the story of Isabelle d’Angouleme, queen of England after her marriage to King John (of 1215 Magna Carta fame). Terri Lewis recounts in her author’s note how two sentences in a guidebook at Windsor Castle piqued her interest in Isabelle’s story, although they did so in the most offhand way. Little is known about the queen’s actual existence, overshadowed as it was by her husband’s ill-considered exploits, but Lewis has breathed new life into her world.

When the tale opens, 11-year-old Isabelle is living with her parents at their castle in France. She is full of romantic notions:

“Isabelle rubbed her palms across her chest. Still flat. In less than a year she would be twelve, old enough to marry; she hoped by then she would have real breasts, because when she was twelve and deemed a woman, Papa would marry her to someone powerful. Isabelle planned to have her own power: she would name all the dogs, decide what to eat, and order featherbeds for everyone, even the children.”

Sure enough, her father, the Count of Angouleme, negotiates a contract with the Count of Lusignan. Isabelle is to marry Hugh, the latter’s 15-year-old son, when she turns 12. She is sent immediately to Lusignan to be assimilated into her future family. In that era, a union could not be consummated — even after the wedding — before a girl had begun to menstruate. Breaking the rule, it was widely believed, would result in harsh retribution in the afterlife. Thus, men so thwarted tended to find comfort elsewhere.

Isabelle settles into her new life, although she is often homesick. She dreams of romance and eventually falls in love with her fiancé, but unbeknownst to her, he loves another girl. Isabelle overhears him declare that he will do his duty and marry her, but only for her dowry. Heartbroken, she decides to make Hugh jealous. When King John visits the Lusignan castle, Isabelle flirts with him. Still only a child, she hasn’t considered the possible consequences. The king becomes obsessed with the beautiful girl and abducts her. They are married in the cathedral of Bordeaux before sailing to cold, grey England.

John has to wait for a long time until his new bride is eligible to consummate their marriage. When the time finally comes, Isabelle knows she must submit with good grace. Still, she regrets her poor decision and yearns for Hugh, even as she produces two male heirs (plus three female ones, who can eventually be bartered for advantageous alliances).

A cruel and impetuous man, John sees betrayal everywhere. Isabelle walks on eggshells with this lusty monarch of furious and jealous temper who loves his queen obsessively, while always suspecting she prefers Hugh. Lewis deftly shows Isabelle growing into a strong-willed woman of quick intelligence who’s navigating a rocky destiny. Already mature by her late teens, her outlook is no longer so starry-eyed. Here, she has just given birth to her first son:

“…but afterward, lying with little Henry, named for his grandfather, she marveled that this red-faced wrinkly creature would one day be king. She carefully adjusted the hands holding tight the swaddling and vowed to teach him trust, loyalty, and love, not only of England, but also France.”

The novel immerses the reader in medieval life, whether it be the intricacies of running a royal household or the arranging of marriages of nobles’ children. It offers a captivating portrait of the 13th century as it wends its way through the travails of Isabelle’s days spent in soaring cathedrals and damp, drafty castles or on exhausting journeys to the farthest reaches of the kingdom. Behold the Bird in Flight is a meticulously researched chronicle of those long-ago times, and it’s a stunning debut.

D.A. Spruzen is the author of the Sleuthing with Mortals series and The Blitz Business.