The White Lord of Wellesbourne

Lord of the Shadows

1215 A.D. – The reign of King John were dark days for all of England. Not one man, woman or child lived without fear. Magnifying this fear is the man they call The Lord of the Shadows - a terrifying figure that sits at the right hand of the King, manipulating the royal moves like a puppet master. The Lord of the Shadows has been known to tear men apart with his bare hands and can, with a snap of his fingers, alter the future of anyone he chooses. The nobility is terrified of him, and for good reason.  That is - the nobility that know of his existance. Lady Sheridan St. James has been drawn into the political arena by her father; having no sons, he shares all with his eldest daughter, a stunningly beautiful and bright creature. Upon his death, Sheridan finds herself at the head of the mighty House of St. James, a major leader in the rebellion against the crown. Upon her first visit to London, she becomes acquainted with a massive knight who has, in kindness, saved her sister’s life. She has no idea that Sir Sean de Lara is the man known as The Lord of the Shadows. Even when she is told of his horrible deeds, she still cannot not believe it. Sheridan and Sean draw close without the influence of the horrendous affairs of state sweeping London. All she knows is that he is handsome and kind, and although Sean is well aware of the lady’s status, it makes no difference that she is, in perception, his enemy.  To him, she is quickly becoming his reason for living. But out of necessity, his responsibilities to the king become stronger than his love for Sheridan and he is forced to perform his duties or risk death to them both. Still, he swears to her that his days as the Shadow Lord are numbered even as rival factions cruelly separated them. It soon becomes a test of Sean and Sheridan’s love to find each other again in a world that is determined to keep them apart.

The Whispering Night  

1197 A.D. – Sir Garren le Mon is an agent for Richard the Lion Heart in the political war against his brother, John. Under the command of William Marshall, Chancellor of England, Garren is the king’s most trusted and loyal servant. When Garren is ordered to marry into a family deeply loyal to Prince John, the knight is understandably reluctant; the House of de Rosa is infamous for its bloodlust and bizarre characters. Upon meeting the Lady Derica de Rosa, however, Garren thinks perhaps that the marriage may not be all that unpalatable. Derica is beautiful and humorous, and Garren is smitten. Upon the eve of the betrothal, however, Garren’s identity as a spy is discovered and he is set upon by the de Rosa’s. With Derica’s help, he escapes execution and together the two of them begin an enormous trek across England and Wales to flee her pursuing family.  When William Marshall discovers that Garren has deviated from his orders, he too goes in pursuit of him, undermining Garren’s trust with a friend he has known since childhood. Duty soon separates them and Garren stages his own death in battle in order to free himself of William Marshall’s directives. But news of his death gets back to Derica, who finds herself a pawn between her family and William Marshall as she grieves for the man she loved and now has lost. It is a race against time for Garren to return to his wife before she is forced to marry another, all in the name of politics.

While Angels Slept

1139 A.D. – Sir Brac Penden and his wife, Cantia, were betrothed as children. They have always known one another and have never been one without the other. When Brac is killed unexpectedly in a skirmish, Cantia is beside herself with grief. Brac’s liege, Viscount Malden - heir apparent to the Earl of Essex - brings Brac’s corpse home for burial and is confronted with the beautiful, grief-stricken wife. Inappropriate though it might be, Tevin de Reims finds himself drawn to lovely Cantia and her young, now fatherless, son. What follows is a delicate tale of propriety and impropriety, of sorrow, grief, and finally joy as Cantia opens her heart to the man that inadvertently caused her husband’s death.  Complicating the issue are knights still loyal to the dead husband, who resent the earl for both his command and attention to Penden’s widow.  As Cantia resolves herself to the death of one husband and grows accustomed to the idea of another, Empress Matilda crosses the channel to reclaim her throne from King Stephen and plunges England into a bloody civil war. Now Cantia must face the possibility of losing the new man in her life, one she loves with all of her heart and soul. It is a battle for life and love as the newly-formed country of England struggles not to destroy itself from within, and it is a further struggle for Cantia and Tevin to find a place together in this dangerous and passionate new world.

The Seven Winds

1190 A.D. -  Teague d’ Mearc, Lord of Hyssington, answers the call to arms from Richard the Lion Heart to ride to the Holy Land and vanquish the Muslim infidels. His wife, Tresta, devises a plan to follow him. Across England, she catches up to her husband just as his ship departs from the Ports of London to Calais. Disguised as a boy, she hopes to follow him incognito but her plans are thwarted by her husband’s vassal, Sir Colt du Quay. Though Teague is not unsympathetic to his wife’s desires, he cannot allow her to accompany him on his quest.  Knowing how determined his wife is, he orders du Quay to stay behind and make sure that she does not follow. Tresta fights Colt desperately as her husband and his troops move further and further away, but Colt is resistant to her.  As tensions rise and fall, and an odd truce settles, it becomes clear that Tresta and Colt are two people with deep, dark secrets; Tresta has been told by a physic that she has only months to live and is therefore desperate to spend her last days with her husband. Colt, however, is not so forthcoming with his secret; though he has always shown blatant disregard for his liege’s wife, the truth is that he has been in love with her since he met her.  Colt finds himself disobeying his liege and instead of escorting the lady back to Hyssington, he helps her pursue her husband. They have many adventures along the Pilgrim Trail as Colt falls more deeply in love with a woman he can never have. When they finally catch up to Teague, the painful reunion is full of sorrow, anger, and rejection. Though Tresta loves her husband, she cannot help but have feelings for the knight who risked everything to help her. Death finally comes, but not in the manner expected.

Someone Like You

1228 A.D. – The d’Vants of St.Austell Castle and the Earls of Cornwall have been bitter enemies for many years. Related by a violent act – the present earl’s grandfather raped a d’Vant woman, resulting in the current d’Vant bloodlines – Dennis d’Vant becomes head of the family when his father is killed in a bloody clash with the earl’s men. Instead of the usual vengeance, Dennis offers a proposal of peace. A marriage is suggested and although the earl has no daughters, he gives his captain’s daughter as his own. The Lady Ryan Elizabeth Paignton finds herself a peace offering between two bitterly feuding families. Having grown up with the horror of the d’Vants, she is terrified to marry the massive heir, who has promised his men to ravage his new wife on their wedding night in retribution for his father’s murder. But Ryan soon discovers that Dennis is not like the rest of his family; he is kinder, gentler, and genuine in his desire to make peace. Torn between old prejudices and a desire for a peaceful future, Dennis is tormented man. Complicating the issue is Dennis’ sister, raised as a knight, a muscular woman with the manners and attitudes of a warrior.  As Dennis and Ryan attempt to move beyond old hatreds to explore their growing feelings for one another, the Earl of Cornwall secretly deals with a pirate known to roam the coasts of Cornwall. The earl and the pirate plot to sabotage Dennis and Ryan’s marriage so that the Earl can claim a violation of the peace accord and confiscate St Austell lands. With everyone and everything against them, Dennis and Ryan discover not only a strong love between them, but a mutual family secret that could either save or destroy them all.

Of Men and Angels

1217 A.D. -  Avrielle Huntley du Rennic married a man twice her age. Nat proved to be an excellent husband and father, but he was a warrior first. Killed in battle, he leaves Avrielle with two small children and a third on the way. Castle Canaan, Nat’s stronghold, used to be a place of comfort and happiness;  now, bitter because of Nat’s death, Avrielle’s warrior brother has turned Castle Canaan into a hostile place, closed in on itself to all, including their liege, the Earl of Penn. When Curtis D’Avignon, Earl of Penn, arrives at Castle Canaan, he is met with resistance and is forced to lay siege to his vassal’s holding. Lady Avrielle tries to broker peace, but under the stress, ends up delivering her child with the mighty Earl of Penn as the midwife. Suddenly, everything changes; though already married to a cold, resentful woman, Curtis finds himself drawn to Avrielle and her beautiful children. Always a man of war, he cannot help himself from wanting Avrielle and her little family, pretending they belong to him when they do not.  Castle Canaan and Avrielle’s rebellious brother become secondary to the remarkable new feelings he is experiencing. But when the newly crowned Henry III sends word to d’Avignon that he has found a suitable match for the du Rennic widow and her valuable lands, Curtis is forced to make a choice between his heart and his duty to the crown.

The Falls of Erith

1305 A.D. - Being descended from great, though disgraced family, can be a greater curse than most. As a direct descendent of Simon de Montfort barely a generation after his defeat at Evesham, Lady Gray de Montfort Serroux has lived her life with the axe of shame hanging over her head.  Because of this, her marriage matches were limited and she wed a dishonorable man who widowed her when he was murdered in a gambling game.  Left with a young daughter to raise, she and her daughter and mother have been living in poverty. But now her daughter is approaching marriageable age and Gray’s mother plots to marry the girl to the first wealthy man who offers for her hand.  Meanwhile, an army of mercenaries seeks shelter at Gray’s crumbling castle. Their leader, Sir Braxton de Nerra, is a knight bannerette. Not sworn to a single liege, he travels with his mercenaries and has accumulated a good deal of wealth fighting other people's battles. Taken with the beautiful Lady Gray even as the lady’s mother tries to force the granddaughter upon him, Braxton finds himself drawn into the desperate life they lead at the Castle Erith.  He is soon faced with a choice: continuing his lucrative life as a mercenary or remaining at Erith to bring the magic back into the life of the exquisite, desolate Lady Gray.

Steps of Glory  

1469 A.D. - Brogan d’Aurilliac is a master sergeant in the infantry of Edward IV. The son of a Germanic knight, he came to England at his father’s death and worked his way up through the ranks of the infantry to become the king’s highest ranking soldier. Brogan is a very large man with power and skill, but uneducated due to his family's immigrant social standing.  He meets our heroine by chance, a member of the mighty Nevilles, the most powerful ruling family in England. The Lady Avalyn du Brant’s uncle is the all-powerful Richard Neville, "The Kingmaker".  Though Brogan knows she is out of his league, he is nonetheless taken by her. Avalyn, too, is intrigued by the big soldier with the heavy accent and menacing presence.  What starts out as pity for the man turns to something else and her uncle, used to meddling in people’s lives, seeks to separate his niece from Brogan by betrothing her to another powerful baron. But Avalyn is intelligent; she takes charge of the situation and, like a great chess match, seeks to beat her uncle at his own game.  Brogan, the man that enemy and ally alike call "The Monster" in battle, offers support and affection such as Avalyn has never known in this story of reversal of roles. She is the 'smart and cunning' one in this battle to save her relationship with Brogan from her uncle's destruction.

Tears of the Dragon

A Medieval Horror novel. I think I just invented a new genre.  Bachelor knight, a Hospitaller, hears tales of a castle with a horrendous curse. The walls of the castle are lined with dead babies because the hex that hovers over the castle affects the surrounding countryside. Parents bring their dead children and nail them to the walls of the fortress as a mute sacrifice to the evil within. Are you scared yet? You should be. More to come soon.