"Heartwarming medieval tale!"
Matilda grew up in the village of Wroxton with her family.
Now that she's reached marriageable age, the earl has
promised Matilda to one of his knights—Sir Loric. Sir Loric
is noted for being a beast of a man and Matilda will do
whatever she can to get out of the marriage—including
pretending to be married to her cousin William. Now in the
process of packing all of her things to take with her to
Caelfield—where William lives—Matilda feels guilty for
pulling her cousin into her problems. So she promises
herself to do the best she can to be a good wife for
William, even if they won't be consummating their
"marriage". William is a widower and was deeply in love with
his wife. Once in Caelfield, William shows her his home, and
Matilda is pleasantly surprised by how nice it is. And so
Matilda begins to settle into her life in Caelfield. Lord Geoffrey is the baron over the village of Caelfield.
While out with his overseer, he happens to catch a glimpse
of Matilda. When the overseer tells Geoff she is William's
new wife, he decides to pay a visit to his woodcutter.
William is surprised by the visit from his baron, but
introduces Matilda, who then sits at the table and says not
a word. For some reason, Geoff just has to have Matilda and
so demands first night rights, knowing it will create
problems. After their night is over, Geoff still can't get
Matilda out of his thoughts. Knowing he cannot marry Matilda
since he must marry a highborn Norman woman with a dowry, he
offers to make her his mistress. Matilda refuses. Then Sir Loric shows up in Caelfield to claim his bride. Will Sir Loric be able to claim Matilda? Will there be a
fight between Sir Loric and Geoff? Who will win? What will
Matilda do? Will she grab her one chance at happiness with
Geoff, even though he cannot offer her marriage? Or will she
remain with William as his pretend wife? MATILDA'S SONG is a story of love, loyalty and betrayal.
JoAnn Smith Ainsworth has written a very realistic story of
life back in the days after the Normans defeated the Saxons
in medieval England. One thing I really liked about this
story is the fact it isn't about lords and ladies, instead
it tells a tale of a common born woman living in a village
and just how much control she doesn't have over her own
life. Even so, Matilda makes friends with other villagers,
does her best to keep William happy and still manages to
find some joy each and every day. The attraction between
Matilda and Geoff is strong, but still Matilda knows she
cannot give in to it and constantly fights it. If you enjoy
a good medieval tale, don't miss this one.
Reviewed by Chere Gruver
Posted September 24, 2008
|
