The harsh realities of village life in Colonial New England are fertile ground for gossip and superstition. Catherine Williams, a wealthy widow and midwife, refuses to believe that an Irish Catholic servant girl is to blame for the mysterious death of a newborn infant Catherine delivered. With the help of her Native American servant, Massaquoit, she must use the town's own religious prejudices to discover the truth. Historical Mystery by Stephen Lewis; originally published as a Berkley Prime Crime