Conquered Hearts
Book 3
Emily Murdoch
Genre: Historical Romance, Medieval.
Publisher: Endeavour Press
ASIN: B00R3DP1PQ
Number of pages: 222
Word Count: 74,414words
Book Description:
Normandy. 1067.
England has been brought to its knees by the invasion of William the Conqueror and his Norman troops.
Lady Catheryn, an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman, is taken against her will to Normandy after the invasion.
She arrives, a prisoner, at the castle of Lord Geffrei, a ruthless invader who hopes to gain a ransom for her.
Her husband Selwyn is dead, slain in the Conquest, and her daughter Annis has been left behind in England at the mercy of the invaders.
Catheryn is treated like an animal, and left in a cell until she begins to despair.
When Queen Matilda, William the Conqueror’s wife, sees her plight, she takes pity on her.
Catheryn is sent to the castle of the noble FitzOsberns – but will her new captivity be any better than the cruelty she faced at Geffrei’s hands?
She finds her hostess cold and embittered, but when her husband William FitzOsbern returns from the Conquest, Catheryn’s heart is torn by unwanted emotions.
She becomes entangled in the quarrels and heartbreaks of her jailers even as she tries to remember her place among them.
Is she falling in love with the man who helped to destroy her homeland?
Can Catheryn betray her Anglo-Saxon roots, and her late husband?
Or will she break free, and find her way back to Annis?
‘Captives’ is a moving historical story of love and loss, and the strength of one woman even in the most dangerous of times. It is the sequel to ‘Conquests’.
'An enthralling saga.' - Robert Foster, best-selling author of 'The Lunar Code'.
Available at Amazon UK and Amazon US
Her eyes were shut, and her face was warm. The sunshine was beating down on her aching old bones, and she was enjoying the last of the sunshine of the day. The skirts of her red dress were spread around her, and every muscle within her body was desperate to relax. The summer was truly upon them, and just like every summer before it, Catheryn was worshipping it. She would soon be brown, much to the disgust of her family – but then, her family were nowhere close to her now. She would have the disapproval of others to contend with this summer.
Catheryn sighed, and opened her eyes. It was no good: whatever she attempted to do, she could never completely forget her loneliness, and her longing to be home. As much as Catheryn was acclimatising to her new life, it was as if a flower had been planted in the shade when it loved the sun: it would live, but it would be but a half-life, and that life was worth very little.
The clouds that were moving across the sky did so lazily. There was barely a breeze in the air.
Catheryn raised a hand up, reaching for the white fluffy cloud that was currently wandering across the sky. Her hand moved higher than the grass that was surrounding her, and she chuckled slightly, imagining what a passer-by must think – an arm growing amongst the crops, grasping to catch the sky!
No matter how far she stretched, Catheryn could not quite reach the clouds that looked like they were just beyond her fingertips. Hand still in the air, Catheryn closed her eyes once more, and began to hum one of her favourite lullabies. She had sung it to quieten both of her children when they had been small, and the tune came to her easily.
Images passed before her eyes quickly, as if they were really open, and she had found some way of returning to that favourite country – the past. Her husband, Selwyn, smiled at her, and Annis ran about her, still a toddler, shrieking with delight at the world. Whether memories or imaginings, they brought a smile to Catheryn’s face.
“By God, woman, what are you doing?”
Catheryn jumped up, eyes wide open in shock. Not far away stood one of the largest horses that she had ever seen – black, and huge, and panting wildly. It had obviously been on the move for a very long time; but Catheryn’s expert eye guessed that it had not been moving fast. She had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she had not heard its approach. There was a man atop the horse, disbelief and anger in his eyes. He had spoken Norman, a Norman that was harsh and clipped in tone.
Catheryn bristled. “I am…at least, I was lying down on the ground,” she said defiantly, with as much elegance as she could muster at such short notice. “Not that it is any concern of yours,” she added.
“Everything here is my concern,” he said curtly, casting a quick eye over the fields in all directions. “You are a fool, lying there with a hand in the air like an infant. What if I had ridden over you?”
“Then you would have been the fool, not I!” Catheryn said angrily. “I am quite obvious in this green field.” She gestured to the red dress that she was wearing, and then turned a frustrated eye at the man who had so rudely addressed her. “If you cannot see me, then the fool is not the one in a dress.”
The man snorted. “And what do you think you are doing here? I know everyone in this area, and you are not known to me. What right do you have to lounge in this field?”
Catheryn almost spluttered with irritation. “This field is not a holy site, and I may lie in it if I choose! I am the lady Catheryn of the South, a lady of England, and…and a prisoner of the FitzOsbern family.”
The man stared at her. The eyes that Catheryn had taken to be black and brooding seemed clear, like an evening sky. She could now see some blue in them where before had been all darkness.
“The FitzOsbern family?”
Catheryn nodded slowly. She had acted rashly – the same hot temper that she had tried to curb in her daughter had just been unleashed on this poor unsuspecting man, who probably had never spoken to a woman of her birth before. She cast a delicate eye over him, but could discern nothing except that he had travelled a long way. His dark beard covering his face was flecked with grey.
He, in turn, was looking back. His eyes took in the ruffled hair, swept vaguely underneath a veil; an English custom. The dress that she wore was of a fine colour, but seemed slightly torn and unkempt at the edges. She was nearing the peak of womanhood, but there was something hovering around the surface of her eyes.
“You are a ward of the FitzOsbern family?”
Catheryn rolled her eyes. “How many times must I repeat myself? Yes, I am with the FitzOsbern family – although I am more prisoner than ward, more inconvenience than guest.”
The man looked at her for a moment, and then with a heavy sigh that his horse echoed, he dismounted. Turning to face her, he did something that Catheryn could never have expected: he bowed.
“My apologies, my lady Catheryn. I must blame the long ride that I have had on my incivility, but that is no reason to treat a lady in such a disgraceful manner. I trust that I have your forgiveness?”
Catheryn was so confused by this very sudden change in demeanour that she did not reply audibly, but nodded. This man was strange indeed.
“I am William,” the man continued.
Catheryn smiled wanly. “Greetings, William. Have you a longer name?”
The man returned her smile, but it was a lot warmer than her own. “William FitzOsbern. Fitz, to my friends, which I hope to count you as soon, my lady Catheryn.”
“William – FitzOsbern? But then you – ” Catheryn said quickly, “you must be Adeliza’s husband…you are the lord here.”
“And consequently, your jailor,” Fitz smiled. “Although I must admit that I do not like the title at all, despite the fact that it is an incredibly new honour.”
Did you always wanted to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
I’m probably very similar to other people – I was convinced I was going to be a pop singer, or an author, but I decided pretty early on that my ability to write far outstretched my ability to sing!
When did you first consider yourself a “writer”?
When I received my first royalty payments for my book ‘Conquests: Hearts Rule Kingdoms’. It begins the series that ‘Captives: Kingdoms Rule Hearts’ finishes, and when I finally realized that people were willing to spend money to read my words, that’s when it hit home.
How long did it take to get your first book published?
I’m one of the lucky ones: I was only 22 when my first book was published. Hopefully that means I’ve got a lot of time to fit in more!
Do you do another job except for writing and can you tell us more about it?
I write for a living, but in different ways. During the working week, I work as a copywriter within a marketing company for a large business, and at the weekend I concentrate on my fictional writing.
How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?
I find that my books are a labour of love, which often means that I write frantically until I become exhausted – say two or three weeks – leave it for a week, and then come back to it. My first book took me three months, but my third took my longer as I moved from the UK to New Zealand in the middle!
What can we expect from you in the future? ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?
I’m currently working on a really exciting series of six books, all that follow different characters within the same world. They are still historical fiction, but I’ve moved to a different time and place. I can’t reveal any more yet!
Do you have a favorite character from your books? And why are they your favorite?
I find it difficult not to love Avis, one of my female characters in the ‘Conquered Hearts’ series. She’s feisty, and angry, but loyal to the point of putting herself in danger. I slightly based her on one of my favourite people in the whole world – and she has no idea!
How long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write?
I am really fortunate to have parents that really respect knowledge and books, and so I was always encouraged to read when I was young. I was also never explicitly, but always implicitly told that I could do anything if I worked hard enough. However, it wasn’t until my boyfriend – now husband – told me to be more serious with my writing that I started finishing off my novels.
Do you have a certain routine you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain chair?
I’m a morning person, so I always find that my most productive times come before lunch time. After I’ve had lunch, I can’t usually write anything new, so I go over yesterday’s work as an editor, and hope that I’m left with something useful!
Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?
I do . . . for better or for worse! What my readers think really matters to me, and sometimes that can be a heavy burden to bear. But it is certainly lovely to hear some of the positive comments about what I have written.
How do you come up with characters names and place names in your books?
I have a MA in Medieval Studies, so much of the framework for my books has come from my research and my studies. There will often be a place that I love the sound of, and then the more I look into it the more I realise that it is perfect as a setting.
Which format of book do you prefer, eBook, hardback, or paperback?
Before I first got my Kindle, I was adamant that it was attempting to destroy physical books. All of my favourite books I have in hardback – but when I finally gave in and treated myself to a Kindle, my eyes were opened. I could access so many more books through eBooks, and so I buy eBooks when I’m trying something new, paperbacks of authors that I enjoy, and hardbacks of books I want to keep forever.
Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favorite/worst book to movie transfer?
Books will always be able to transfer to movies – and movies to books – as long as the directors, script writers, producers, actors, and anyone else involved – is really sympathetic to what the book is trying to do. I’m happy to see a film that alters the book slightly, as long as they still create the atmosphere and the feelings of the books. I loved the way that the Harry Potter books were done; obviously not every scene or every line appeared on screen, but you definitely get the sense of loyalty, courage, and friendship that pores from every page J K Rowling wrote.
Your favorite food is?
Cheese, of any sort, on anything!
Your favorite color is?
Blue.
Your favorite Author is?
Anyone who is writing with passion and enthusiasm.
Emily is currently working on a new six part book series, as well as writing freelance.
You can learn more at www.emilyekmurdoch.com
@emilyekmurdoch
Thank you so much for having me on your blog, it's awesome! Maybe one day you can guest blog for me :-)
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