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jaceyElizabeth Chadwick: The Marsh King's Daughter
1999
Another excellent Chadwick. This time the main characters are entirely invented though some of the minor characters are acrual historical figures. The main plot-bunny is that intriguing question... what did happen to King John's royal regalia? Was it really lost in the Wash?
When Miriel Weaver is forced into a convent by her violent stepfather, she sees the opportunity to escape when nursing the wanted rebel Nicholas de Caen back to health. It doesn't all quite go to plan, but Miriel does get away and discovers Nicholas' big secret – a treasure box rescued from King John's baggage train when the tidal flow of the Wash caught the wagons unawares. In the belief that Nicholas will abandon her penniless, Miriel steals a portion of his treasure and with it makes a good life for herself in Nottingham, buying a weaving business and running it as an independent widow. Nicholas also prospers, becoming a ship-master with a thriving business, but the two of them are destined to meet again. Unfortunately not until Miriel has given up her independence by marrying an man she discovers she hardly even knows.
Bound together by dangerous secrets, Miriel and Nicholas' relationship flares into passion which brings them both into desperate danger. Unknown to Miriel, her husband is not above murdering those who stand in his way.
Miriel isn't always likeable, but she is admirable and believable. Even with invented characters, Chadwick's impeccable research and feel for the period shines through.
1999
Another excellent Chadwick. This time the main characters are entirely invented though some of the minor characters are acrual historical figures. The main plot-bunny is that intriguing question... what did happen to King John's royal regalia? Was it really lost in the Wash?
When Miriel Weaver is forced into a convent by her violent stepfather, she sees the opportunity to escape when nursing the wanted rebel Nicholas de Caen back to health. It doesn't all quite go to plan, but Miriel does get away and discovers Nicholas' big secret – a treasure box rescued from King John's baggage train when the tidal flow of the Wash caught the wagons unawares. In the belief that Nicholas will abandon her penniless, Miriel steals a portion of his treasure and with it makes a good life for herself in Nottingham, buying a weaving business and running it as an independent widow. Nicholas also prospers, becoming a ship-master with a thriving business, but the two of them are destined to meet again. Unfortunately not until Miriel has given up her independence by marrying an man she discovers she hardly even knows.
Bound together by dangerous secrets, Miriel and Nicholas' relationship flares into passion which brings them both into desperate danger. Unknown to Miriel, her husband is not above murdering those who stand in his way.
Miriel isn't always likeable, but she is admirable and believable. Even with invented characters, Chadwick's impeccable research and feel for the period shines through.
