"... through her voice Lucy Pick creates a character—at times unlikable, but always indomitable and even admirable, much like Eleanor herself—who shines a spotlight onto medieval life in all its complexity." – C. P. Lesley, New Books Network (listen to the interview at NBN)

"... an extraordinary book, written by a medievalist and educator who also has a gift for narrative." – Tinney Sue Heath, Medieval Italian People (substack) (read the full interview)

" … … an extraordinary book. … a rich, in-depth look at a tumultuous time and the people living through it. … The Queen’s Companion reminds me of the work of the late, great Dorothy Dunnett, complex and rewarding to the reader." – Tinney Sue Heath, author of A Thing Done and Lady of the Seven Sons

" … Pick draws upon her deep knowledge of medieval history, religion, and philosophy to create another must-read novel for readers interested in the history of Holy Land as well as those who appreciate strong and adventurous heroines." – Julianne Douglas, Writing the Renaissance

" … a well-paced, pleasant read. ... Pick’s Eleanor is more compelling than the Eleanor we all think we know." – Catherine Mathis, Historical Novels Review

The Queen's Companion

When Lady Aude encounters Eleanor of Aquitaine on the wharfs of Antioch, the queen is on crusade but Aude is returning home. The daughter of a French crusader and an Armenian noble, Aude grew up on an estate outside of Jerusalem. To earn her place in the queen’s entourage, Aude begins to tell her own story, how violence and an ill-fated marriage forced her to leave the land of her birth and how she vowed to return almost three decades later. Across those years, from the Holy Land to Flanders and beyond, she witnessed political upheaval and only slowly began to wrest control over her own life. While Aude weaves her tale, events unfold around the queen and her companions, and Eleanor is caught in her own version of an unhappy marriage that will have its own dramatic personal and political repercussions.

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Drawing on her rich knowledge of the medieval world, Lucy Pick offers The Queen’s Companion not as a sequel to her novel Pilgrimage but an intersection with it. Aude was a small player in Pilgrimage who takes center stage in this novel, bringing to life those turbulent times and the ways women worked together within the social and political realities of their day.

ISBN 9781944453268
$18.00 paperback, 278 pages
July 8, 2025