The Distant Hills

“The difference between us, sweetheart, is that you see only the pretty sunlit plains that stretch before you whilst I see the distant hills beyond!” It is 1689, and England is about to be plunged into a war with France. This does not suit Philip Devalle, who is half-French. With King William lll now ruling England, Philip, whose efforts during the ‘Glorious Revolution’ have helped to put him there, is secure - for the moment. But his scheming has also made him unpopular with many. William and Mary have no children and with Mary’s sister, Anne, heir to the throne Philip fears his future may yet be uncertain. When he receives an invitation to meet with King Louis, the French king that he has served in the past, Philip is intrigued. Being a gambler, he decides to risk the consequences and travel to Versailles, on the chance that it might be to his advantage. He believes he has no enemies in France. He is wrong. With his life in peril, he must learn who wants him dead. And seek retribution. What he discovers surprises him but he knows that, if this latest adventure is to end well, he must proceed with caution, for no-one is above suspicion … not even Louis himself. “Whatever could happen to me here? All my enemies are in England!”