The Forbidden Path: Dragonfly Series 3

It's 1652, and all over Europe, Catholics and the new Protestants are killing each other. Superstitions and fear run high and when a child dies in herbalist Anne Lewis's care, she and her eight-year-old daughter, Emma, are dragged away by a frenzied mob. Emma's uncle comes too late to save his sister but snatches Emma inches from a fiery death. Emma manages to rescue her mother's precious dragonfly brooch, and she and her uncle flee to England. On the way, he falls deathly ill, and she is left alone. As she grows to adulthood, she strives to follow her passion for an education forbidden to girls. She is only allowed to learn embroidery, household management, and manners. Fortunately, her foster mother agrees that girls should be educated and provides tutors and books for Emma. Her mother's dragonfly gives her comfort as she is turned away from entering the Universities. She meets a serious student and they eagerly experiment with the sacred art of alchemy, following instructions from her Uncle's books. Her friend Harriet is jealous of this platonic relationship and forces Emma to make a choice. Sexual preferences, personal identity, and social rules are challenged.However, all goes awry when Emma falls in love with the wrong person.Amid this turmoil, the Bubonic Plague ravages Europe killing a quarter of England's population. Before Emma can recover from the devastation, the worst fire in history tears through London, burning 80% of that great city to the ground. Will Emma, and those she loves, survive such destruction? And if so, who will she be at the end?