The Knight And The Rose
The year is 1322 and the rebel Lancastrian forces have just been defeated at the battle of Boroughbridge. One of those men, Geraint, has escaped and is posing as a poor scholar. Wounded and caring for his master’s even more wounded son, he comes across Lady Constance, who sees in him a man she can use. Meanwhile, her daughter, Lady Johanna, is married to the brutal wife beater Sir Fulk of Enderby. She will do anything to escape from the horrendous marriage. Her mother comes up with a plan: merely convince everyone that Johanna had been married before she married Fulk, married to Geraint the supposed scholar. This is how wonderful romances begin.
Ms. Martyn has a great grasp of history, and she doesn’t hesitate to throw in various bits of historical knowledge. The story is good, too, and she does make us wonder if these two people could ever possibly get together in the end. Her writing is uneven and there are times when the story drags. Still, The Knight and The Rose is definitely worth reading.
