Certain aspects of Middle Ages life are challenging to accept, mainly that women were chattel. If a woman got a vicious husband, her life would be hell. Her aristocratic father generally sold her to increase his wealth or familial allegiances. Usually, the young woman had no say in the marriage because she was an item of property. Life during those times was difficult and relatively short. The life expectancy was about 35 years.
This story is about Arabella of Byrum and her misalliance with Elias. He was an older man who beat Arabella routinely and probably damaged the unborn child she carried. When the child was born disfigured, her husband blamed it on Arabella's illicit affair with another. It was all in his head, but he was powerful enough to get every one of his acquaintances to agree with his faulty thinking. When he died suddenly, his adult sons banished Arabella back to her father and the damaged child.
Superstition was rife in those times, and the villagers and most people saw a damaged child as punishment by God against the mother, father, or both. So Nigel, Arabella's father, sold his daughter again but did not allow anyone to tell the prospective groom about the sickly child.
This is a long story of a mother willing to do about anything to protect her child. Unfortunately, I found this book to be tediously slow. I think at least 70 pages could have been cut and not harmed the story. It seemed that the author wanted to wring every ounce of emotion from each scene. Despite my criticisms, this author did a marvelous job of showing the combination of devout Christianity mixed with superstition and pagan beliefs that marked this age.
Fire Series â Total of 5
1. Lady of Fire (1987)
2. Fire and Steel (1988)
3. Hearts of Fire (1989)
4. The Fire and the Fury (1991)
** 5. Winter Roses (1992)
