The Noble Servant by Melanie Dickerson

Book 3 of Thornbeck Medieval Fairy Tales

Summary: 

She lost everything to the scheme of an evil servant.
But she might just gain what she’s always wanted . . . if she makes it in time.

The impossible was happening. She, Magdalen of Mallin, was to marry the Duke of Wolfberg. Magdalen had dreamed about receiving a proposal ever since she met the duke two years ago. Such a marriage was the only way she could save her people from starvation. But why would a handsome, wealthy duke want to marry her, a poor baron’s daughter? It seemed too good to be true.

On the journey to Wolfberg Castle, Magdalen’s servant forces her to trade places and become her servant, threatening not only Magdalen’s life, but the lives of those she holds dear. Stripped of her identity and title in Wolfberg, where no one knows her, Magdalen is sentenced to tend geese while she watches her former handmaiden gain all Magdalen had ever dreamed of.

When a handsome shepherd befriends her, Magdalen begins to suspect he carries secrets of his own. Together, Magdalen and the shepherd uncover a sinister plot against Wolfberg and the duke. But with no resources, will they be able to find the answers, the hiding places, and the forces they need in time to save both Mallin and Wolfberg?

Opening Lines: 

"Where do you think you are going looking like a beggar?" Mother asked.

Magdalen's hand was on the door. "Just walking."

"I'd think you would be ashamed to be seen in such clothing." Mather narrowed her eyes at Magdalen.

Magdalen wanted to say, "Even Hegatha allowed me to go for a walk in my oldest dress," but Mother did not like it when she spoke of the dead. 

"Just don't let anyone see you, and if you are not home before dark, I will send Hans with his dogs."

Magdalen hurred out the door before her mother changed her mind.