As reeve of the small village of Pryor Byfield, Simon Perryn must rule on many local disputes - a task he often shares with the steward of St. Frideswide's nunnery. But when the steward is accused of dishonesty and forced to relinquish his post, the worldly Sister Frevisse is sent to replace him. Her new duties thrust the reluctant Frevisse into the conflicts, rivalries, and domestic dramas of the locals - and when a measles epidemic sweeps through the town, the overworked nun must stay to tend to the sick so as not to expose the nunnery to the illness. But Frevisse must divide her time between nursing and sleuthing after two villagers are brutally killed. As death casts a cloud over Prior Byfield, fear and suspicion reign. Simon stands accused of murder. Rumors of adulterous affairs and vicious squabbles proliferate. And Frevisse's pointed questions and keen deductions lead her closer to the disturbing truth. -- Dust jacket.