After Flodden
Rosemary Goring
Language: English
Pages: 217
ISBN: 1846972833
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Patrick Paniter was James IV's right-hand man, a diplomatic genius who was in charge of the guns at the disastrous battle of Flodden in September 1513 in which the English annihilated the Scots. After the death of his king he is tormented by guilt as he relives the events that led to war. When Louise Brenier, daughter of a rogue sea trader, asks his help in finding out if her brother Benoit was killed in action, it is the least he can do to salve his conscience. Not satisfied with the news he brings, Louise sets off to find out the truth herself, and swiftly falls foul of one of the lawless clans that rule the ungovernable borderlands. After Flodden is a novel about the consequences of the battle of Flodden, as seen through the eyes of several characters who either had a hand in bringing the country to war, or were profoundly affected by the outcome. There have been very few novels about Flodden, despite its significance,and none from this perspective. It's a racy adventure, combining political intrigue and romance, and its readership will be anyone who loves historical fiction, or is interested in the history of Scotland and the turbulent, ungovernable borderlands between Scotland and England.
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The night was likely to be as miserable as his day Hob curled into Louise’s arm, buried his fingers in Hans’s mane for warmth, and went back to sleep. Dark had fallen long since by the time Coldingham Priory loomed into view. A dour, imposing building, with a perimeter wall that would need ladders to scale, it did not look welcoming. Ignoring its glower, Louise found a side gate, where travellers looking for a bed could ring. The bell was still humming when a nun peered through the wicket. She.
Looked at Louise and the boy, and nodded, opening the gate to let them in. Louise dropped a coin into her outstretched hand. The woman turned, without a word, and led them into a courtyard cushioned in moss. She pointed towards the stables, and left Louise to settle her horse. Roused from sleep, Hob was shaky and close to tears, remembering in an instant everything he preferred to forget. But when he saw Louise unsaddling Hans, he gathered himself and picked up a handful of straw to help rub him.
Eyemouth was visible in the fading light, boats huddling in the harbour as if the open sea had yelled at them. A few miles out of sight beyond the cliff tops lay Berwick. She prayed that Benoit was not lying in prison there, trapped in the enemy’s hands. Better by far to be on the run than caught in a snare. She was helping Hob back into the saddle when a movement far below caught her eye. A horse was cantering along the Coldingham road, kicking up turf and earth in its haste. The rider was bent.
Progressed, a pall of smoke thickened over the rooftops, but the smell of burning firewood only made them colder. To help pass the time, they eked out their day’s ration of food, but they spoke very little. Voices carried far in these hills, and Louise was busy with her own thoughts. Crozier too, it seemed. From their post, they watched farmers and pedlars making their way to town. A party of monks filed by, so close they could smell beer and onions on the air. Flattened on the ground, and.
Family home. The baron was appalled. First he abandoned her, then he returned and flung himself at her feet, pouring out his apologies into her lap. She must know he loved her, and only her, but he could not leave his wife. She could have the child, and he would provide for it, but nobody must know it was his. Already Valerie’s senses were weakening under the strain. If it had not been for her sister, she might have become one of Bristol’s desperate women, found wandering the quayside taverns in.