This exciting tale begins during the chaotic period in England's history known as the Anarchy. King Stephen and the Empress Maud each march armies from city to city as they pursue their claims to the throne. Young Lady Gemma has an early love, but the boy Nicholas and his family vanish one night, victims of the turbulent times and shifting allegiances.
A STORMY KNIGHT takes us to Castle Blackstone on the Thames, a day's ride from London, so in a strategic position. Gemma has grown to the age of nineteen and refuses to be courted. All seems tentatively quiet until an alewife is found drowned, and a smith has an accident in the smithy, causing his death. Gemma doesn't want to frighten her younger sister Isobel by voicing her fears that these were deliberate acts of harm. They are supposed to be in good cheer, for their older brother Gavin who was fostered with another lord has been knighted, and is returning with his new betrothed; the match has the king's approval. Gavin does not arrive however and Gemma's father is taken seriously ill. As the lady of the house, Gemma is in command and she orders soldiers out to search for her brother - and a message to be sent to the king.
A knight arrives with a mounted party in response to Gemma's summons, but he's the last person she'd expected - Nicholas. He seems coldly pleased by having to be there, and Gemma has no idea whether she can trust him. His family turned traitor before....
I found myself liking this story a lot as I got into it; the characters are well drawn, from tomboy Isobel to nurse Hesse, seneschal Oliver and priest Father Darius. Gemma is a marvelous example of a medieval lady of the castle, having learned how the work of running and defending the household is done in order that she can manage while the men are absent. The new King Henry, Maud's son and Stephen's nephew, took over a land in disarray and had to appoint trusted knights to command strategic castles. In some cases that meant wedding the men into the owning families....
The tension continues, both on a personal level and a community one. Castle feasts and daily life are well depicted, and more than one battle is joined in A STORMY KNIGHT. Amy Mullen has researched the period well in her excellent first venture into the world of romance.
In twelfth century England, Gemma de Vere and Nicholas de
Reymes find love at a young age. Too naΓ―ve to truly
understand what is happening, their fledgling relation-ship
is torn apart by political games and scheming minds.
Nicholas and his family dis-appear into the night and Gemma
is left with a shattered heart.
Seven years later, Gemma still harbors a broken heart, and
retreats into a life in which she will not be foolish enough
to fall in love again. Mysterious deaths and accidents begin
to plague those living within the walls of Blackstone
Castle, and her father falls ill. She has no choice but to
seek the assistance of King Henry.
Help arrives in the form of her childhood love, the handsome
and imposing Nicholas, who is now a fierce and loyal knight
bent on revenge. The pain and anguish he feels over the fate
of his family casts Gemma as his enemy. To him, she
represents all the misfortune in his life as he tries to
keep her at armβs length and far away from his heart.
Their journey towards truth is riddled with treachery and
danger from an unlikely source. Will they find their way
back to each other, or will his need for revenge out-weigh
the love he feels in her arms?
EXCERPT
"You defy me," he said as he spun around to face her,
"and you do it at every opportunity. You have caused me
great pain, and I will have no more of it. You lead my men
astray and cause them to be weak. I cannot be lord with you
undermining my authority within these walls!"
Gemma steadied her voice, her only option clear, "I shall
leave then. I will go to my uncle in Wales. We shall remain
married. There is nothing that can change that, so your hold
on this land is secure. 'Tis all you care for. I once loved
it here, but living with a man who does not know how to
trust me is too much to bear."
"You are my wife, like it or hate it, and you will do as
you are told! You will stay out of my way, and you will not
step foot outside of the keep until I say so." His entire
body was tense, his voice harsh.
"Nay," she said while lifting her chin, "I shall leave.
What you do not know, Nicholas de Reymes, is that I love
you."
He froze as she spoke but did not say anything.
"And because of that love" she continued, tears falling
in earnest, "I can no longer abide this life. For the second
time, loving you has been a mistake. My feelings betray me,
and they anger you. I will be gone before I cause you more
pain. I will take Isabel with me, and my father can come
when he is up to travel. All I ask is you treat him well in
my absence."
"You will do no such thing!" he said. "It makes no sense,
and I will not have you telling me what you are going to do.
You are my wife, and you will do as I say. I will keep you
safe, and I cannot do that if you are not here."
"'Tis not up to you," she said, her voice low, "and you
will not stop me. I love you, but I must be stronger than
love. I realize now you feel I am the cause of all pain
here. 'Tis only right I lift the burden and leave so all who
reside here are safe." She abruptly left the room, unable to
face him for a moment longer.
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