Lady
Allingham’s debut, a refreshing take on the warrior woman, delivers swift action, high stakes, lively prose, and a contemporary moral of becoming who you are.
In the turmoil following Edward of York’s ascent to the English throne, Rosalynde of Casstone confronts the recent loss of a child, her ill husband, the Baron Alexander FitzRoland, and an avaricious neighbor calling at the castle. In a desperate gamble, Rosalynde dons her husband’s armor and turns the attackers away. With Alexander dying and no chance of an heir, it falls on Rosalynde to protect Casstone and its people, and so, with the help of a few allies, Rosalynde resumes her training in arms and becomes both lord and lady. In so doing she must contend with her own physical limits, the animosity of her husband’s lover, a spy within the castle itself, and the warning all around her of what happens to women who don’t keep to their place.
The book appeals in the dimension and depth of its characters, the realism of its setting, the swift, clean prose, and the space for those who don’t conform to expectation. The place never slows as conflicts mount: Rosalynde must make peace with a jealous Robert; work with the clever Sarah and her husband, an Arabic Muslim, to keep Alexander alive; learn what she can from her prisoner, spy and bastard Arthur Hemington; and come to terms with her love for physical action and her lack of typical femininity. Allingham accurately represents beliefs of the time but doesn’t let her characters be hobbled by them. When Alexander’s death cuts her ties to Casstone, Rosalynde forges a new future for herself, one shaped by her own cleverness and strength, and her choices are both believable and compelling. Recommended.
