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jaceyElizabeth Chadwick: Shields of Pride
Another impeccable historical novel from the back-catalogue of Elizabeth Chadwick with a strong romance plot combined with a hefty dollop of family feuding, relationships-gone-wrong, jealousy, ambition and revenge. This time her characters are fictitious and she has invented a couple of castles, but placed them firmly in the area of South Nottinghamshire and set them amidst real events – the ill-fated rebellion of the young king Henry against his father, Henry II. This is a rich and complicated study of family jealousy set against a detailed and accurate background of 12th century England.
Bastard mercenary Joscelin de Gayle, favourite son of William de Rocher, the baron they call Ironheart, is given the opportunity to marry the young widow Linnet de Montsorrel and take over the running of the keep at Rushcliffe. Linnet is a survivor with a guilty secret who, when forced into a snap decision, agrees to marry Joscelin because any alternative husband selected for her by the crown could be a lot worse.
The backstory gradually emerges. Ironheart sewed the seeds of his own destruction when he brought Joscelin and his (now dead) mother, Morwenna, home to Arnsby from the French tourney circuit and installed her as his mistress alongside his legitimate wife, Agnes, souring their relationship forever even when Agnes presented him with three legitimate sons. Because he's always been their father's favourite the two oldest sons, Ralph and Ivo hate Joscelin with a passion.
Ralph is consumed with jealousy over Joscelin's good marriage and can't wait until he takes over Arnsby from his father. Ralph and Ivo support the wrong side in young Henry's rebellion, but Joscelin and Ironheart remain loyal to the King. Even though he never shows any love for them, Ironheart still ransoms his errant sons when the rebellious forces are defeated. They return to Arnsby and the poisonous Agnes, but after the winter truce, Ralph takes advantage of renewed fighting in Nottingham to advance himself to Arnsby's lord, placing Ironheart, Joscelin, Linnet and Robert in deadly danger, but it's only when they have extracted themselves from Nottingham that the full extent of Ralph's treachery is revealed.
I'm pacing myself with the Chadwick back catalogue. I still have three more in my strategic book reserve and then I have to wait for her to write some new ones.
Another impeccable historical novel from the back-catalogue of Elizabeth Chadwick with a strong romance plot combined with a hefty dollop of family feuding, relationships-gone-wrong, jealousy, ambition and revenge. This time her characters are fictitious and she has invented a couple of castles, but placed them firmly in the area of South Nottinghamshire and set them amidst real events – the ill-fated rebellion of the young king Henry against his father, Henry II. This is a rich and complicated study of family jealousy set against a detailed and accurate background of 12th century England.
Bastard mercenary Joscelin de Gayle, favourite son of William de Rocher, the baron they call Ironheart, is given the opportunity to marry the young widow Linnet de Montsorrel and take over the running of the keep at Rushcliffe. Linnet is a survivor with a guilty secret who, when forced into a snap decision, agrees to marry Joscelin because any alternative husband selected for her by the crown could be a lot worse.
The backstory gradually emerges. Ironheart sewed the seeds of his own destruction when he brought Joscelin and his (now dead) mother, Morwenna, home to Arnsby from the French tourney circuit and installed her as his mistress alongside his legitimate wife, Agnes, souring their relationship forever even when Agnes presented him with three legitimate sons. Because he's always been their father's favourite the two oldest sons, Ralph and Ivo hate Joscelin with a passion.
Ralph is consumed with jealousy over Joscelin's good marriage and can't wait until he takes over Arnsby from his father. Ralph and Ivo support the wrong side in young Henry's rebellion, but Joscelin and Ironheart remain loyal to the King. Even though he never shows any love for them, Ironheart still ransoms his errant sons when the rebellious forces are defeated. They return to Arnsby and the poisonous Agnes, but after the winter truce, Ralph takes advantage of renewed fighting in Nottingham to advance himself to Arnsby's lord, placing Ironheart, Joscelin, Linnet and Robert in deadly danger, but it's only when they have extracted themselves from Nottingham that the full extent of Ralph's treachery is revealed.
I'm pacing myself with the Chadwick back catalogue. I still have three more in my strategic book reserve and then I have to wait for her to write some new ones.
