Nightfall till Daybreak (The Kingdom of the East Angles Book 2) (25 page)

“Use that tone with me again Saewara and I will
strike you to the ground,” Penda replied, flatly, “sister or not.”

Saewara shivered. Having seen what her brother was
capable of, she knew he would do as he threatened.

They walked in silence for a short distance before
the king spoke once more.

“You will marry Annan of the East Angles,” Penda
informed her dispassionately. “Annan has ‘bent the knee’ to Mercia and I need
to ensure that he will continue to do as he is told. You will play a role in
uniting our two kingdoms in readiness for the day I take East Anglia for our
own.”

Saewara was shocked into silence.

This was worse than she had ever anticipated. Her
brief glimpse at freedom, at a life away from being a pawn in a man’s world,
dissolved like smoke before her eyes. Not only would her brother barter her
like a fattened sow at market, but he would give her to his enemy to further
his political ambitions, without a thought to her wishes.

She dipped her head, letting her cowl fall over
her face and block out the world.

Tears flowed, hot and bitter, down her cheeks.

Buy
Book #3 in the Kingdom of the East Angles series: THE DEEPENING NIGHT
.

Historical note from the author

Although the lovers in
Nightfall till Daybreak
, Freya
and Aidan, are purely figments of my imagination (even if I'd like to think
they really did exist), many characters within this novel are based on real
historical figures. All of the following 'real people' play an important role in
the novel: King Sigeberht; his co-ruler, Ecgric; the monks, Felix of Burgundy
and Botulf of Iken; Sigeberht's step-cousin Annan; and the bloodthirsty Mercian
King, Penda.

Of course, in the name of telling a good story I have
stretched a few facts, embellished events and shortened timelines. Botulf set
up his monastery at Iken a few decades later than in this story and Sigeberht
actually ruled from 629-634 A.D.; but for the purposes of my tale I pack his
six-year reign into one eventful year. 

Nightfall till Daybreak
is based
around Sigeberht's actual life; in fact it was his story that gave me my first
inspiration for this novel. The lovers came later – it was Sigeberht who
initially caught my attention.

Sigeberht gets a mention in
Dark Under the Cover of Night,
the first novel in my Kingdom of the East Angles series. He was King Raedwald's
stepson, who the king had exiled to Gaul when Sigeberht was still a youth,
fearing that the young man might try to claim the throne over one of Raedwald's
own sons. Sigeberht lived in Gaul for many years.
Nightfall till Daybreak
begins
after the murder of Sigeberht's step-brother, Eorpwald, the current King of the
East Angles. The 'usurper', Ricberht, had taken the throne and Sigeberht sailed
across the water to Britannia, to take it back for his family.

Sigeberht killed Ricberht, took back Rendlaesham and was
crowned. However, Sigeberht's new life did not sit well with him. In Gaul, he
had dedicated himself to religious studies and he eventually left Rendlaesham to
set up a monastery and Beodricesworth (now Bury St. Edmunds). He left a
relatively unknown individual – Ecgric – to rule in his stead. Sigeberht
eventually abdicated, took his vows and dedicated himself to teaching young
boys how to read and write Latin – but, unfortunately, he could not throw aside
his responsibilities so easily. When the Mercians, led by King Penda, attacked
East Anglia, Sigeberht was dragged from his monastery and onto the battlefield.
He refused to bear arms and went into battle carrying only a staff. The rest,
as they say, is history...

Many years later, Sigeberht was sainted. His feast day is on
29 October.

In all my novels set in the Anglo-Saxon period, I enjoy using
actual historical events and figures to drive the story forward. Although these
are romances, with the love story as the enduring theme, there is something
exciting about reliving (or rewriting) history. This period of British history
is shadowy and not particularly well documented. The main source for this period
came from
Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People
, which was
not completed until the 730s, and was written from a religious perspective –
however, I found this lack of detail freeing rather than constricting. It
allowed me to really bring Anglo-Saxon England to life using my own knowledge
of how people actually lived, and the beliefs that drove their lives forward.

 More works by Jayne Castel

Dark
Under the Cover of Night

(The
Kingdom of the East Angles, Book 1)

Buy
now from Amazon (Kindle and paperback editions)

QUARTER
FINALIST IN THE AMAZON BREAKTHROUGH NOVEL AWARD 2013 - ROMANCE CATEGORY!

BRITAIN
– 624 A.D.

Raedwyn
– daughter of King Raedwald of the East Angles – has just been handfasted to
one of her father’s ealdorman. Although highborn women wed to strengthen
political alliances, rather than for love, Raedwyn still hopes for a happy
marriage like that of her parents’. But, her optimism is shattered on her
wedding night.

Raedwyn’s
life shifts unexpectedly when outlaws ambush her new husband's party on their
journey back to his long ship. She finds herself captive of a bitter, vengeful
warrior – Ceolwulf the Exiled. He has a score to settle with King Raedwald and
Raedwyn is his bargaining tool.

Caelin,
Ceolwulf’s enigmatic son, follows his father on his quest for revenge. Fiercely
loyal to her own father, Raedwyn isn't prepared for her wild attraction to
Caelin – or for its consequences. In a world where to go against a king’s word
means death, Raedwyn must decide what matters more: love or duty.

The
Deepening Night

(The
Kingdom of the East Angles, Book 3)

Buy
now from Amazon (Kindle and paperback editions)

BRITAIN
– 630 A.D.

Saewara,
sister to the King of Mercia, has just lost her husband. Finally free of a
cruel bully, Saewara wishes to take the veil and retire to a life of peace and
solitude.

But,
the king destroys her plans when he orders her to remarry – to her people’s
enemy.

Saewara
will wed Annan of the Wuffingas, the King of the East Angles. Following his
kingdom’s humiliating defeat to Mercia six months earlier, Annan must ‘bend the
knee’ to his new lord. However, what begins as a forced marriage develops into
a slow-burning passion between Annan and Saewara. Two proud individuals, they
must come to terms with more than an unwanted marriage.

A
woman of quiet, indomitable will, Saewara leaves her past behind and attempts
to forge a new life for herself as Queen of the East Angles – but her fragile
happiness risks destruction by the ambitions of her ruthless brother.

The
Breaking Dawn

(The
Kingdom of Mercia, Book 1)

Buy
now from Amazon (Kindle and paperback editions)

BRITAIN
– 641 A.D.

It
is late summer and Merwenna of Weyham impatiently awaits her betrothed: a young
warrior who marched to war, and never returned. She goes in search of him,
travelling to Tamworth – the seat of the Mercian King – only to discover the
bitter truth. He is dead.

In
Tamworth, Merwenna meets Welsh battle Lord, Prince Cynddylan, who led a host of
warriors to help Mercia fight Northumbria. From the moment Merwenna and
Cynddylan meet, their paths are entwined.

In
a journey from Tamworth, through the green heart of Mercia, and into the woods
and mountains of Wales, Merwenna struggles between grief for the man she has
lost, and her powerful attraction to this battle lord who appears to love only
power and glory.

Darkest
before Dawn

The
Kingdom of Mercia, Book 2

Buy
now from Amazon (kindle and paperback editions)

BRITAIN
- 655 A.D.

Princess
Alchflaed of Northumbria is a spirited young woman who wishes to choose her own
path. Unfortunately, highborn women in Anglo-Saxon England have no say in their
choice of husband, and her father promises his daughter to the son of his
bitterest enemy.

This
attempt at 'peace weaving' is not what is seems. Alchflaed's father orders her
to murder her new husband. Charged with this treacherous task, she journeys
south to her new home in Mercia.

Maric
- a seasoned warrior with a dark past - leads her escort. Princess and warrior
find themselves strongly drawn to each other, but they must deny their
feelings. Both bound by loyalty, neither can choose their own fates.

Alchflaed's
father has given her a terrible choice: to earn her freedom, she must kill a
king.