Sunday, March 4, 2012

A significant event relegated to insignificance





On another National Holiday tour, our coach stopped at a site where the castle of Fotheringhay had stood.
This was the place where Queen Mary was beheaded but only a small sign on a
weed-covered field marked the spot of that historic event. It seemed as if the
country who kept her prisoner for years had chosen to ignore the fact forever.


Leave your comments for a
chance to win one of the four digital copies of Maid of the Midlands that I'll
be giving away today.


Blurb:

When Mary Queen of Scots is sent to Hafton Castle in the
Midlands, Matilda becomes her waiting-lady. The comely maid loves Jondalar, a
stalwart castle guard who returns her affection but places his greed to succeed
above all else. After Matilda nurses the queen through a fever, she rewards the
maid with a valuable ruby. Jondalar plots with the young lord of the castle to
rid the Crown of the captive queen in return for a promotion in the guard.But
when Matilda learns of the guard's
betrayal of the queen she must chose between loyalty and love.

Excerpt:Matilda shrank back against
the wall, horrified at what she had heard.
She cringed with every sure step taken by the guard as he retreated from
the lord's chamber.



For a time, Matilda was
unable to sort her thoughts. Then she
began to speak aloud, as if the sound of her voice could bring order to the
jumble of conflicting emotions roiling in her mind.



“Jondalar has betrayed
me. And worse still, has betrayed the
Scottish queen. Instead of guarding the
monarch as she traveled, he has made plans to kill her. And Lord Hafton is a party to the devious
crime.”



“How could the valiant guard
who has pledged his devotion and promised to wed me be guilty of such a vile
act? How could he plot against Queen
Mary who holds him in such high esteem that she has left a bag of coins for his
service to her?”



Matilda sank to the floor and
wept bitterly. After a time, when her
tears had subsided, she tried to piece her thoughts together. She could not tell her mistress what she had
learned for the young lord might deny it and send her away. And it was too late to persuade the guard to
stop the murderers, even should he be willing to do so for her sake. As if he might.



The maid sprang to her feet. “There is none to tell save the queen! I must warn Queen Mary of her perilous
plight.”





8 comments:

Na said...

Hi Linda, I remember another of your book caught my eye, This Time Forever and now I have another book to keep in mind. Thank you for sharing an excerpt. The dark ages is such a different times compared to other eras.

Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com

Rebecca J Vickery said...

Linda,
After having read this book several times, I still love it and find something each time I missed before. The characters became friends and I agonized right along with Matilda over Jondalar's betrayal. Wishing you mega sales!
Becca

Unknown said...

Linda--here you are! I was looking on the erotic site!
I hope someone wins one of the ebooks who will appreciate this finely written, overall classic novel. It's so different from what I usually read, so I particularly enjoyed this one.
I can always count on your to write a good story. And the cover is an A+.

Linda Swift said...

Na, how nice of you to remember another of my books today. This one is very different from the other that you mentioned, set in two differenct countries and time periods, but I hope equally enjoyable reading. Thanks and good luck.
Linda

Linda Swift said...

/beccam I treasure your comments and also my association with your publishing house. I hope we can publish many more books together.
Thanks for visiting and for your support. Linda

Linda Swift said...

Becca, I DO know how to spell your name. gremlins have been bedeviling (is that a word?)me all day. Sorry.

Catherine Lee said...

I had my doubts about Jondalar when I read another excerpt!

catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

Linda Swift said...

Don't give up on our hero just yet, Cahterine. Think redemption. It is amazing what the love of a good maid can do for an erring guard!