Destiny is an historical romance inspired by real events in the lives of the Frankish king Clotaire and his great love, Radegund. Set in the 6th century A.D., the author transforms Radegund, who, in real life became a nun and was then sanctified as a saint, into the fiery, sensual Deirdre who wrestles, as did Radegund herself, with her destiny: would she marry Clotaire, the man she has reason to hate, and be queen of the Franks? Or would she follow her spiritual yearnings and become a cloistered nun? Or is there another man in her life, the one she has recurring dreams about? Ironically, it is Clotaire's mistress, a lowly field serf and whore, who clarifies Deirdre's destiny when she reveals the truth behind the mysteries of Deirdre's past. Felice is a powerful figure and Clotaire himself falls in love with her despite her low station and paganism, and he gives Felice herself a destiny she could never have imagined, but one which takes away from her what she most desires. The character of Clotaire is perhaps unique in romantic fiction: a man of great power, yet kindly when so moved, playful and humorous. As one of his old servants says of him,"He was always such a rascal." Other characters add color and depth to this delightful and exciting novel set in an age when kings held sway and, with Christianity newly emerging, where the old world was falling away.
