About the Book

England – 1716
A PRISONER IN THE TOWER OF LONDON WILL SOON BE EXECUTED
“The snow still blew hard and the drifts gathered and shifted so that I was in terror of missing the road…”
Bethan Glentaggart is so desperate to save the life of her husband Gavin that she is traveling alone from Scotland to London through the worst snowstorm in recent memory. Gavin languishes in a Tower of London cell while the date of his beheading rapidly approaches. He is to die for joining the rebellion against the new German king. A Catholic in viciously anti-Catholic England, Bethan has only her wits and her devoted women friends to support her against the power of a cruel government. But who has ever escaped the Tower of London? Can she possibly succeed?
A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower is based on the true story of Winifred Maxwell, Countess of Nithsdale, who made up her mind that, despite all the forces arrayed against her, nothing would stop her from saving her husband from the executioner’s axe.


Bernstein Interview Preview: History Through Fiction
Buy the Book
ENDORSEMENTS
I love a good historical novel about women with brains, heart, and courage. In A Noble Cunning, Patricia Bernstein’s finely-spun yarn of Jacobite sympathizer Countess of Clarencefield—inspired by the true adventures of Winifred Maxwell, Countess of Nithsdale—the author brings both the Scottish Lowlands and Hanoverian London vividly to life with a keen eye for period detail and a heart-stopping denouement.
This is a riveting and largely unknown story, based on true events, about a remarkable woman’s strength, love and courage against formidable odds. Set amidst English and Scottish hostilities in the early 1700s, and the terrible religious persecution of the period, Patricia Bernstein brings the countess’s extraordinary tale to dramatic life.
- Karen Brooks, International Best-selling Author of The Good Wife of Bath and The Locksmith’s Daughter
In A Noble Cunning, Patricia Bernstein paints a compelling and dramatic portrait of Scotland in the perilous time of the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion, seen through the eyes of the courageous Bethan Carlisle Glentaggart, Countess of a Clarencefield, a Catholic noblewoman who defies danger to undertake an ingenious plot to save her husband from a traitor’s terrible death. Fans of historical fiction will find much to enjoy in this immersive tale of adventure, rich with period detail.
- Gillian Bagwell, author of The September Queen
Wow! This spellbinding historical novel captures the religious aspects of an intriguing and true story. I was especially taken by the extraordinary Countess, the unsung Catholic heroine in a time of unrelenting persecution of Catholics in England and Scotland. Her dedication to her Catholic faith and especially to the Virgin Mary, her unstoppable courage, unimaginable cunning, and unflappable determination exceeded most women of her day. I also loved that Bethan Glentaggart, based on the true story of Winifred Maxwell, performs her audacious feat with the help of a group of devoted and courageous women friends. Patricia Bernstein adds dramatic flair and suspense that captures you to the very end. It is a must-read.
- Sister Jane Meyer, OP., Former Head, St. Agnes Academy, Houston all-girl secondary school
Patricia Bernstein’s sumptuously detailed historical novel, A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower, is set in 18th century Scotland and is based on the remarkable true story of a fiercely courageous woman fighting tirelessly against political and religious tyranny to save her husband, imprisoned and condemned to die in the Tower of London.
- Kathleen Kent, NY Times Bestselling author of The Heretic’s Daughter
A riveting tale of one woman’s courage and determination! Bernstein has crafted a dazzling heroine in Bethan Glentaggart. After enduring the religious fanaticism of Protestants, the vain heroics of Scottish lords, and the insipid insecurities of King George I, Bethan must devise and carry out a daring plan to rescue her husband from the Tower of London before his execution for treason. Her forceful personality makes A NOBLE CUNNING a gripping page-turner!
- David Blixt, author of What Girls Are Good For and Her Majesty’s Will
The Details
Published: March 7, 2023
Publisher: History Through Fiction
Formats: EbookPaperbackHardcover
Genres & Tropes
Historical Fiction, Inspired by a True Story, Jacobite Rebellion, Scotland, Scottish History, England