To Wed an Heiress
Page 26
“But you must retain full control of the principal.”
“You shall not touch a penny of it except on my death.”
“And I must be assured that you are obeying your heart in this matter.”
“Yes, of course—although I will say that my chief impulsion would be the title you possess. We are well-matched, my fortune hunter, for I have always aspired to be a countess.”
Haro laughed. “Then, in that case, Edith Swanycke, will you marry me?”
“I will,” she said and stood up on her tiptoes to claim another kiss.
***
Finis
Author’s Note
One day, while reading William of Malmesbury’s account of the Norman Conquest, I paused at the part where Duke William promises his daughter to Harold Godwinson in exchange for the kingship of England. A strange thought occurred to me—what if this story was transported across the centuries as the inspiration for a Regency romance? The Middle Ages and the British Regency have always been my two main periods of historical interest. Could I combine the iron-willed characters of the Conquest narrative with the fairy-tale world of a Georgette Heyer novel?
In the historical tales of the Norman Conquest, the death of the childless monarch Edward the Confessor produces a crisis of succession. Harold Godwinson and Duke William of Normandy both claim the crown, and Harold, with the support of the English lords takes the throne.
William objects to this, asserting that a few years prior, on a trip to Normandy, Harold had promised the crown to him! The medieval chronicles vary on whether such a trip and such a promise actually did occur. William of Malmesbury acknowledges both but also says: “Harold, once crowned, did not spare a thought for the agreement between himself and William, declaring himself released from his oath because William’s daughter, to whom he had been betrothed, had died….”
As Duke William prepares an invasion fleet to take the crown by force, Harold makes his own preparations to defend England. He is obliged to put aside his concubine Edith Swan-Neck in order to make a more expedient political alliance. He is also obliged to defend England from another claimant, Harald Hardrada. A giant of a man from Norway, Hardrada invades shortly before William does, dying at the Battle of Stamford Bridge and receiving “six feet of English ground, or perhaps more seeing that he is taller than most men.”
The Norman fleet lands at Pevensey, and Duke William’s army advances to the field at Hastings. When Harold’s tired English troops arrive, they make a valiant stand but lose the day. Harold perishes in the battle, pierced through the eye by an arrow (a detail considered apocryphal by many historians). His body is later identified by Edith Swan-Neck and given Christian burial.
For many students of history, the results of this battle are dismaying. William the Conqueror is frequently seen as an oppressive monarch who rode roughshod over the persons and property of the defeated English. But despite any personal distaste for William, it is impossible to deny his organizational genius (his census in the Domesday Book was an astonishing feat for that day) and the impact his invasion would have on the history of England.
This novel of romantic suspense does not purport to be an accurate retelling of the Norman Conquest—the fact that William Hastings does not gain the estate of the Earl of Anglesford is proof enough of that. It is simply a light-hearted recasting of the characters from the Conquest period in the world of the British Regency. If it does inspire you to learn more about Harold Godwinson and the Conquest itself, I recommend The Godwins: The Rise and Fall of a Noble Dynasty by Frank Barlow, the full-color reproduction of the Bayeux Tapestry edited by David M. Wilson, or 1066: The Hidden History in the Bayeux Tapestry by Andrew Bridgeford.
Also from Madison Street Publishing
THE WIDOW’S REDEEMER
By Philippa Jane Keyworth
A penniless young widow with an indomitable spirit. A wealthy viscount with an unsavory reputation.
LONDON, 1815: AFTER HER HUSBAND’S UNTIMELY DEATH, LETTY BURTON COMES UP FROM THE COUNTRY WITH HER DOMINEERING MOTHER-IN-LAW. HIDING A PAST SHE WISHES TO FORGET AND FACING AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE, ALL SHE WANTS IS TO NAVIGATE LONDON SOCIETY AS A SILENT COMPANION. A CHANCE MEETING WITH LONDON’S MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR SETS IN MOTION A SERIES OF EVENTS THAT WILL BRING HER QUIET LIFE UNDER THE UNFRIENDLY SCRUTINY OF THE TON. WITH THE NET OF SCANDAL, DEBTS, AND RIVALS CLOSING IN, WILL SHE LET HER DARK PAST DICTATE HER LIFE FOREVER? WILL SHE LEARN TO TRUST AGAIN? AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WILL SHE ALLOW HERSELF TO LOVE?