Godyth Chandler cannot pay the rent on her tumbledown cottage in York. Her husband’s death has left her penniless. With dread in her heart she awaits the visitor from her landlord, the abbey of St Alcuins. Father William de Bulmer, dispatched by Abbot John to sort the situation out, is confronted by a scared, angry woman close to her limits. By nature and experience he is adept in matters of business, but few who know his formidable reputation would ascribe to him the qualities of patience or forbearance. He is ageing, his joints hurt, and the streets of York are filthy. Things do not look promising for Goodwife Chandler. Or her cat, whatever his name. Yet, as the novices of St Alcuins are learning , autumn can be a time of new beginnings. St Luke’s Little Summer is the fourth volume in the second series of The Hawk and the Dove novels. It follows on from A Path of Serious Happiness . The stories follow a sequence, but each can be read individually.