I had an agent refuse to represent this book because the
hero wasn't a knight or lord and the heroine a lady. But I found the working
class characters more colorful to write about and much more appealing. I hope
the readers will also. And for those readers who like this book, there is a sequel already written about Matilda's and Jondalar's three children, set in the time of the Gunpowder Plot, and Guy Fawkes is my historical character in that one.
Excerpt:
Unmindful that she wore no
gown, the maid ran headlong down the stairs and flung herself upon the
prostrate guard. Her hands feverishly
examined his muscular chest, seeking the source of his wound, and touched the
leather thong about his neck. And when she saw the medal hanging from it in the
fold of his tunic, she knew at once he loved her still.
“Jondalar,” she wept
profusely, “speak to me. Please do not
die. I would not want to live without
you.”
Willy Douglas shook his head
in bewilderment. Then, seeing the maid
was in a state of undress, he placed his cloak upon her shoulders to spare her
further shame.
Jondalar groaned weakly.
“He lives,” Matilda said
joyously. “We must tend his wounds at
once before all his blood is drained.”
She tore a strip from her
clean white underskirt and sought to staunch the copious flow from his
side. Another shot had grazed his head
and sticky crimson mingled with his copper-colored hair making it impossible to
separate the two.
“My dearest,” she
crooned. “I will take care of you. All will be well.”
“Huh?” the guard opened his
eyes and seeing Matilda so close to his face, blinked as if to verify the
vision.
“Jondalar, please speak to
me,” she entreated once more.
“Me luv,” he whispered, “. .
. save the . . . queen.”