Read Blood Oath: The Janna Chronicles 1 Online
Authors: Felicity Pulman
Blood Oath: The Janna Chronicles 1 (24 page)
She hoped her words were not true, but her secret wish to return with her father and bring Robert to justice was not something Janna was prepared to share with Cecily. “I mean to live as a youth, to have a youth’s freedom as well as the safety of a new identity,” she explained. “Pray keep my secret if you value my life.”
“I will. I swear it.” Janna thought she could trust the promise, for to reveal the secret would add greatly to the danger Cecily herself faced.
“Goodbye.” She wanted to wish Cecily luck and give her a hug, yet she was acutely conscious of the difference in their status.
Cecily had no such inhibitions, however. She threw her arms around Janna in a close embrace. “May God go with you,” she said. “I promise that your secret is safe with me.”
“In return, you must promise me that you will be careful. Don’t trust Robert, don’t trust him at all.”
“I promise.” Cecily released Janna. “I am truly sorry about your mother,” she whispered. “I will always wish that I had drunk that wine myself. But I do thank you for risking everything to come here to warn me.”
Janna tried to say something to comfort Cecily’s troubled conscience, but she could not find the words. She swallowed over the large lump forming in her throat, and instead pressed Cecily’s hand.
Cecily returned the pressure briefly. “I must go before I am missed,” she said, and pushed open the door.
Janna watched her walk away, and hoped that she would fare well and keep safe. She wished that she’d been able to change Cecily’s mind. It would have been so good to have a friend; someone in whom to confide and with whom to share the travails of her quest to find her father. Cecily had been kind to her. And so had Godric and Hugh.
She felt a great sadness as she realized she might never see any of them again. With an effort she shook off her melancholy; it was time for her to leave, and quickly, before the serfs returned with their charges. She took a last look around the empty stable, reluctant to leave this illusion of shelter and safety. The sight of the empty peg where once the smock and breeches had hung made her pause. So, too, did the empty bottle standing on the floor. She should find somewhere to hide all the evidence that might put her in danger, and Cecily too. About to pick up the bottle, a further thought stopped Janna. She left the bottle standing and picked up the silver coin instead. She placed it in her purse then pulled out the flint and steel she had secreted there. There was a way to hide everything and, at the same time, punish Robert of Babestoche for the harm he’d done. She might not be able to bring him to justice—not yet—but she had the means to pay him back in kind, just a little. She would do so, and gladly.
*
Safe in the shelter of the forest, Janna looked back at the leaping flames of the burning stable. They cast a fiery glow against the darkening sky, the golden color of revenge but also the color of hope and of promise for the future. With a smile on her face, and courage in her heart, Janna turned and began to walk north through the trees.
Aelfshot
: A belief that illness or a sudden pain (like rheumatism, arthritis or a “stitch”) was caused by elves who shot humans or livestock with darts.
Ague
: Fever and chills.
Alewife
: Ale was a common drink in the middle ages. Housewives brewed their own for domestic use, while alewives brewed the ale served in alehouses and taverns. A bush tied to a pole was the recognized symbol of an alehouse, at a time when most of the population could not read.
Apothecary
: Someone who prepares and sells medicines, and perhaps spices and rare goods.
Besom
: A bundle of twigs attached to a handle and used as a broom.
Breeches
: Trousers held up by a cord running through the hem at the waist.
Canonical hours
: The medieval day was governed by sunrise and sunset and divided into eight canonical hours. Times of prayer were marked by bells rung in abbeys and monasteries beginning with matins followed by lauds at sunrise; then prime, terce, sext, none and vespers at sunset; followed by compline before going to bed.
Caught red-handed
: Literally with blood on your hands, evidence that you had been poaching in the king’s forest.
Cot
: Small cottage.
Demesne
: Manors/land owned by a feudal lord for his own use.
Gorget
: A cape with a hood, worn by the lower classes.
Kirtle
: Long dress worn over a short tunic.
Leechcraft
: A system of healing practiced during the time of the Anglo Saxons, which included the use of herbs, plants, medicines, magical incantations and spells, charms and precious stones.
Nostrums
: Medicines.
Posset
: A hot drink with curative properties.
Pottage
: A vegetable soup or stew.
Reeve
: The reeve (steward) was usually appointed by the villagers, and was responsible for the management of the manor. Shire reeves (sheriffs) were appointed by the king to administer law and justice in the shires (counties).
Scrip
: A small bag.
Skep
: A beehive fashioned from woven straw and covered with a cloth to keep out rain.
Tiring woman
: A female attendant on a lady of high birth and importance.
Villein
: Peasant or serf tied to a manor and to an overlord, and given land in return for labor and a fee—either money or produce.
Water meadows
: The farm land on either side of a river that floods regularly.
Wortwyf
: A herb wife, a wise woman and healer.
The Janna Chronicles
are set in the 1140s, at a turbulent time in England’s history. After Henry I’s son, William, drowned in the
White Ship
disaster, Henry was left with only one legitimate heir, his daughter, Matilda (sometimes known as Maude). Matilda had a difficult childhood. At the age of eight, she was betrothed to a much older man, Heinrich, Emperor of Germany, and she was sent to live in that country until, aged twelve, she was considered old enough to marry him. Evidently she was beloved by the Germans, who begged her to stay on after the Emperor died, but at the age of twenty-four, and childless, Matilda was summoned back to England by her father. For political reasons, and despite Matilda’s vehement protests, Henry insisted that she marry Count Geoffrey of Anjou, a boy some ten years her junior. They married in 1128, and the first of their three sons, Henry (later to become Henry II of England), was born in 1133.
Henry I announced Matilda his heir and twice demanded that his barons, including her cousin, Stephen of Blois, all swear an oath of allegiance to her. This they did, but after Henry died, Matilda went to Normandy while Stephen went straight to London to gather support, and then on to Winchester, where he claimed the Treasury and was crowned King of England.
Not one to be denied her rights, Matilda gathered her own supporters, including her illegitimate half-brother, Robert of Gloucester, and in 1139 she landed at Arundel Castle in England, prepared to fight for the crown. She left her children with Geoffrey, who thereafter stayed in Anjou and in Normandy, pursuing his own interests. Civil war between Stephen and Matilda raged in England for nineteen years, creating such hardship and misery that the
Peterborough Chronicle
reported: “Never before had there been greater wretchedness in the country …They said openly that Christ and His saints slept.”
I became interested in this period of English history while researching the Shalott
trilogy. As this new series began to fall into place, I realized that this time of shifting allegiances and treachery, of fierce battles and daring escapes, of great danger and cruelty, formed a perfect setting with many plot possibilities. Janna’s travels will bring her into the company of nobles, peasants and pilgrims, jongleurs and nuns, spies and assassins, and even King Stephen and the Empress Matilda. With England in the grip of civil war, secrets abound, loyalties change and passions run high. Janna will encounter the darkest side of human nature: the jealousy, greed, ambition, deceit and fear which so often lead to betrayal and murder. As well as solving the mystery of her past, and of her heart, Janna’s mission is to find out the truth and bring the guilty to judgment. But she will need great courage, intelligence and insight to escape danger, and also to solve the many crimes she encounters along her journey.
For those interested in learning more about the civil war between Stephen and Matilda, there are numerous biographies on both of them, while Sharon Penman’s
When Christ and His Saints Slept
is an excellent account of that period. On a lighter note, I have much enjoyed, the Brother Cadfael Chronicles by Ellis Peters, which are also set at that time. While Janna’s loyalty lies in a different direction from Ellis Peters’ characters, her skill with herbs was inspired by these wonderful stories of the herbalist at Shrewsbury Abbey.
The Janna Chronicles
begin in Wiltshire, England. Janna’s quest for truth and justice will take her from the forest of Gravelinges (now known as Grovely Wood) to royal Winchestre, seat of power where the Treasury was housed. I’ve kept to the place names listed in the
Domesday Book
compiled by William the Conqueror in 1086, but the contemporary names of some of the sites are: Berford—Barford St Martin; Babestoche—Baverstock; Bredecumbe—Burcombe; Wiltune—Wilton; Sarisberie—Sarum (later relocated and named Salisbury); Oxeneford—Oxford, and Winchestre—Winchester.
The royal forest of Gravelinges was the only forest in Wiltshire mentioned in the
Domesday Book
. While it has diminished in size since medieval time, I have experienced at first hand how very easy it is to get utterly lost once you stray off the path! Wilton was the ancient capital of Wessex. The abbey was established in Saxon times and became one of the most prosperous in England, ranked with the houses of Shaftesbury, Barking and Winchester as a nunnery of the first importance.
Following the dissolution of the monasteries during the reign of Henry VIII, ownership of the abbey’s lands passed to William Herbert, First Earl of Pembroke. Some 450 years later, the 18th Earl of Pembroke now owns this vast estate. A magnificent stately home, Wilton House, stands in place of the abbey and is open to visitors.
While writing medieval England from Australia is a difficult and hazardous enterprise, I have been fortunate in the support and encouragement I’ve received along the way. So many people have helped make this series possible, and in particular I’d like to thank the following: Nick and Wendy Combes of Burcombe Manor, for taking me into their family, giving me a home away from home and teaching me about life on a farm, both now and in medieval times. Mike Boniface, warden of Grovely, who guided me through the forest by day and ensured that I also saw it (and the badgers and glowworms!) at night. Gillian Polack, mentor and friend, whose knowledge of medieval life helped shape the series and gave it veracity. Finally, my thanks to all at Momentum for their thought, care and expertise, and for enabling me to introduce The Janna Chronicles to a whole new audience.
Love, revenge, secrets – and murder – in a medieval kingdom at war.
Forced to flee for her life, Janna sets out in search of her unknown father, hoping to avenge the death of her mother and bring the murderer to justice. Disguised as a youth, Janna takes shelter on a manor farm managed by the handsome nobleman, Hugh. There she encounters mysterious acts of sabotage marked by posies of rue, culminating in the disappearance of Hugh’s young nephew, Hamo.
Janna can trust no-one in her bid to find out the truth. Godric has turned against her, while Hugh stands to inherit everything if Hamo dies. Can Janna find the child before time runs out – for both of them?
For more information, please visit
momentumbooks.com.au/books/stolen-child-the-janna-chronicles-2/.
Felicity Pulman is the award-winning author of numerous novels for children and teenagers, including A Ring Through Time, the Shalott trilogy, and
Ghost Boy
, which is now in pre-production for a movie.
I, Morgana
was her first novel for adults, inspired by her early research into Arthurian legend and her journey to the UK and France to ‘walk in the footsteps of her characters’ before writing the Shalott trilogy – something she loves to do. Her interest in crime and history inspired her medieval crime series, The Janna Mysteries, now repackaged as The Janna Chronicles.
Recently awarded the inaugural Di Yerbury writer’s fellowship, Felicity will spend several months in the UK in 2015 researching and writing the sequel to
I, Morgana
. She has many years experience talking about researching and writing her novels both in schools and to adults, as well as conducting creative writing workshops in a wide variety of genres. Felicity is married, with two children and five grandchildren, all of whom help to keep her young and technosavvy – sort of! You can find out more about Felicity on her website and blog:
www.felicitypulman.com.au
or on Facebook.