Other editions of book If All the Swords in England

Young Simon, recently and tragically orphaned, becomes a scribe in the following of the exiled Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. The uncertainty of the tumultuous years leading to the infamous cathedral slaying is heightened by Simon's separation from his twin Edmund, who is in the service of King Henry II.With an expert pen Barbara Willard deftly recounts events leading to the bishop's martyrdom in 1170.

"The taller lad will do very well, but I cannot offer the other a place." With these words from the royal steward, the Audmar twins were separated for the first time in their lives. Edmund, who had been selected as a personal page to King Henry II, joined the royal household, while Simon went to France to serve the King's most bitter rival, Thomas Becket, the exiled Archbishop of Canterbury.