Fleetwood Shuttleworth is 17 years old, married and pregnant for the fourth time. But as the mistress at Gawthorpe Hall, she still has no living child, and her husband, Richard, is anxious for an heir. When Fleetwood finds a letter she isn't supposed to read from the doctor who delivered her third stillbirth, she is dealt the crushing blow that she will not survive another pregnancy.
Then she crosses paths by chance with Alice Gray, a young midwife. Alice promises to help her give birth to a healthy baby and to prove the physician wrong.
As Alice is drawn into the witchcraft accusations that are sweeping the North-West, Fleetwood risks everything by trying to help her. But is there more to Alice than meets the eye?
Soon the two women's lives will become inextricably bound together as the legendary trial at Lancaster approaches, and Fleetwood's stomach continues to grow. Time is running out, and both their lives are at stake.
Only they know the truth. Only they can save each other.
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I left the house with the letter because I did not know what else to do.- CHAPTER 1
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(Zaffre, 7 February 2019, audiobook, 9 hours 6 minutes, bought from Audible, narrated by Katy Sobey)
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I loved listening to The Familiars. I've read other books about the Pendle Witches so was familiar with this historical events. Fleetwood is the first person narrator and she has a powerful voice. I loved the relationship between Fleetwood and Alice and Fleetwood's determination to save her friends when the odds are stacked against her. This serves as the driving force for the book. Fleetwood is determined to do the right thing, damn the consequences, a brave thing for someone her age and at the time the book is set. This is an engrossing book.