\u2026 and then suddenly it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
So what happened was, 1520 Main<\/em><\/a> was a very difficult book to write for many reasons. It wore me out. I already had two titles on the table awaiting my tender hacksaw that I did not want to work on. I had had, in the back of my mind, since The Proviso<\/em><\/a>, the idea of a Scottish historical featuring Bryce Kenard\u2019s ancestors.<\/p>\n Because Bryce Kenard \u2026 le sigh<\/em>.<\/p>\n All I knew was that it would start with a clich\u00e9: Interrupt a wedding to snatch the bride. <\/p>\n That\u2019s all. I published 1520 Main<\/em> on May 31. I started this book on June 19. It\u2019s July 29, and I have part I finished: 160,000 good words. (My snippets file has 110,000 discarded words.) Of course, it\u2019s a self-contained romance novel as it is. A little polishing, I could throw it out there.<\/p>\n But you know me better than that.<\/p>\n I have no title. I have no cover. I have no publication date. I don\u2019t have anything but a summary and a rough draft I\u2019m pretty proud of. And below you will find the summary and the first chapter.<\/p>\n \u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n Newly made English earl Grimme Kyneward must take a noblewoman to wife to keep his lands and his life, but even if he knew how to woo a woman, he doesn\u2019t have time to do it properly. What does a knight do when he has no prospects for a bride, but needs to get one as quickly as possible? He snatches her, of course.<\/p>\n Never mind that Lady Br\u00ecghde F\u00e0ileach is the wrong<\/em> bride; she has her own reasons for wanting to marry the first earl who plucks her out of her wedding just before she\u2019s forced to say \u201cI do.\u201d That the earl has a deep and abiding aversion to brunettes is convenient for her, and the fact that he is also in need of a castellain to run his chaotic household is even better.<\/p>\n She is fully aware that a man in need of a noble wife will also<\/em> be in need of legitimate heirs, but she readily agrees to it, freeing her from her father and fianc\u00e9 forever, and giving her power to rule his household, which includes all his mistresses and bastard sons.<\/p>\n Grimme has no desire to bed Br\u00ecghde, but he must have a legitimate heir. Br\u00ecghde has no need to bed Grimme, but she\u2019s absolutely certain she\u2019ll enjoy the experience. And on the journey from her wedding to his lands, Grimme and Br\u00ecghde forge a friendship Grimme is certain will last forever \u2026<\/p>\n \u2026 but for Grimme\u2019s ravenous liege who covets everything Grimme loves and will kill to get it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n EAST LOTHIAN, SCOTLAND \u201c \u2026 DAY OF BINDING, if any man do allege and declare any impediment\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n BOOM!<\/em><\/p>\n The cathedral shook from the force of the narthex\u2019s massive doors blowing open such that they bounced off the stone walls.<\/p>\n Lady Br\u00ecghde F\u00e0ileach and her groom whipped around whilst an hundred people leapt to their feet, the men\u2019s swords drawn from sheer habit.<\/p>\n A giant mail-clad intruder stood in the doorway, one big gauntleted hand resting on the pommel of his broadsword.<\/p>\n \u201cI object.\u201d He said it calmly, in English, almost as if he were bored, but his voice was deep and it resonated in the nave all the way up to the apse where Br\u00ecghde and her groom stood gaping.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat ho!\u201d bellowed Br\u00ecghde\u2019s father as he scrambled around the end of the pew, his sword already drawn as he strode down the choir toward the nave and the stranger. \u201cWho are ye an\u2019 by what authority do ye object?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy own.\u201d His accent was Sassenach with a hint of French. \u201cI need that bride.\u201d<\/p>\n Br\u00ecghde\u2019s father gasped. \u201cYe canna burst into weddings and appropriate brides as if this were a merchant\u2019s faire tent!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWatch me,\u201d the giant said wryly and lifted a finger, whereupon three more well-armed mail-clad soldiers erupted from behind him and ran down the nave to the apse. The intruder engaged in swords with Br\u00ecghde\u2019s father, and quite handily defeated him, for her father, once a famed swordsman, was forced to fight with his left hand. His left shoulder was not much better than his right.<\/p>\n The second soldier engaged the groom\u2019s father, who had never been much of a swordsman at all.<\/p>\n The third soldier engaged the best man, which was somewhat of a struggle.<\/p>\n The last soldier picked Br\u00ecghde up, threw her over his shoulder, and sprinted right back out of the cathedral, trampling her fallen wimple and bouncing her all the way, her long black hair falling out of its coif and nearly dragging along the ground.<\/p>\n It was a most unpleasant experience, and even had she a mind to scream or fight, she was too out of breath to scream, pounding on the soldier\u2019s well-armored back would be painful and futile, and her legs were clasped so tightly against the soldier\u2019s chest, she could not kick.<\/p>\n Thus, she did not protest as the men ran for their horses. She did not protest when she was thrown over the lap of one already mounted. She did not protest until they were well away from the kirk and she gathered her remaining bits of breath to yell over the wind and thundering hooves, \u201cMay I please sit up?!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNay, my lady!<\/em>\u201d the soldier yelled back, and pushed his horse to go faster. \u201c\u2019Twill have to wait until we are clear.\u201d<\/p>\n Br\u00ecghde sighed and braced herself. She would have many bruises upon her belly and ribs tomorrow, as she was wedged in the tiny space between the pommel and knit metal.<\/p>\n No one could follow: It was five miles from her home to the kirk. The whole family had traversed it by carriage without a mounted guard. Br\u00ecghde\u2019s menfolk would have to return to her home to fetch horses that could catch the knights. Even if they managed to do that in a timely fashion, they would not know where they went once they rounded the turn in the road and plunged sharply into the woods.<\/p>\n It was darker here and it would be darker still in an hour or two as the sun set and the fog rolled in. She did not know how they would go in the dark or even if they would. Stopping and lighting a fire might not give them away through the dense forest and fog, but she was quite sure these men would take no chance of being found.<\/p>\n She was shocked they had not bound and gagged her yet.<\/p>\n Thus, with nothing to do but bear the offenses against her body and wait for an opportunity to answer nature\u2019s call, Br\u00ecghde determined that she was going to chastise her mother heavily for not thinking to supply her a horse.<\/p>\n Soon the woods grew black and the soldiers slowed their horses to a walk. After some time passed, they stopped. Three men dismounted and one wrangled Br\u00ecghde from her soldier\u2019s lap, clearly expecting her to fight, but even if she wanted to, she was too tired and sore and stiff. He put her on her feet. Her head spun, her legs buckled, and she fell over. Her soldier dismounted and gently assisted her to rise and held her whilst she regained her balance.<\/p>\n \u201cWell!\u201d she croaked, still holding on to his gauntleted arm. \u201cThat was an adventure.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMea culpa, my lady,\u201d he said, \u201cbut we are in a rush.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoooo,\u201d she breathed and plopped on her arse. Then she flopped on her back and clasped her fingers over her belly.<\/p>\n \u201cMy lady,\u201d the man said solicitously. \u201cWe need to go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll not go anywhere until my head stops spinning. Didn\u2019t my family tell you to get me my own horse?\u201d<\/p>\n Silence. \u201cWhat \u2026 are you talking about, my lady?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen my family hired you to abduct me, didn\u2019t they tell you to get me my own horse? I\u2019m quite sure you would have been paid enough.\u201d<\/p>\n More silence. \u201cUh \u2026 \u201d he finally drawled, surprise in his voice. \u201cNo one hired us to abduct you.\u201d<\/p>\n Br\u00ecghde lay there on the forest floor and opened her eyes to see four silhouettes looming over her. She thought for a moment. \u201cYou just \u2026 happened \u2026 to be out abducting brides today?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye.\u201d<\/p>\n Now she was furious. \u201cOf course! Because that level of planning is just beyond their ken!\u201d<\/p>\n The four men exchanged glances, then one said, \u201cWhy would you think your family had anything to do with it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to discuss it. I\u2019m too angry. Not at you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you saying,\u201d one of the men began carefully, \u201cthat you wanted<\/em> to be abducted?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you saw my groom, you\u2019d want to be abducted too!\u201d she snapped.<\/p>\n There was a minute pause and then they all started to laugh.<\/p>\n \u201cGood Lord,\u201d one of them wheezed.<\/p>\n \u201cWho are you, then?\u201d Br\u00ecghde demanded. \u201cAnd where are you taking me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am Earl Grim Kenard. I\u2019m taking you home with me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have never heard of you,\u201d she said flatly, \u201cand I know who all our neighbors are on both sides of the border.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye, well, you missed one. My earldom is small and only five years old, a mere ten thousand acres with a bare fifteen miles of Scottish border. The king granted it to me for my service at Agincourt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHrmph. And you are taking me there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMay we discuss this when we are further along our journey?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery well. All I ask is that you not ravish me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have no intention of it, my lady.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell then!\u201d She held her hands up so that the gentlemen could pull her to her feet. \u201cLet\u2019s be upon our way. Do we plan to walk through the night, good sir?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018My lord.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, no,\u201d she said. \u201cNobles who lower themselves to do their own abducting don\u2019t get obeisance.\u201d<\/p>\n He snorted. \u201cI\u2019m a warrior and, since I am not in France with Henry, I was itching for a battle. Sadly, your people disappointed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey disappoint me every day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cApparently. We will walk. You may ride, although we do not have a sidesaddle.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo need,\u201d she replied. \u201cI am able to ride astride, prefer it in fact, so long as no one need see my bare legs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2019Tis pitch black, my lady,\u201d he answered dryly. \u201cAs well, we have business to tend.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSpeaking of business to tend, I have need of a bit of privacy.\u201d<\/p>\n The earl took her hand and began to pick his way carefully to a nearby tree, then released her. \u201cStay close, my lady,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere would I go?\u201d she asked with irritation. \u201c\u2019Tis dark, \u2019tis in a fog-bound forest, I have my wedding slippers on, I have no provisions, and I think I\u2019d go with you even if you did<\/em> want to ravish me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat bad, eh?\u201d a different man asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could not imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have no imagination,\u201d said the earl.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, it was that bad.\u201d Once she was finished and back at the horse\u2019s side, he began to wrap a cloth \u2019round her head and between her teeth. \u201c\u2019Tis really not necessary. I did not cry out all this time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause you thought your family hired us,\u201d he said dryly.<\/p>\n With a series of jostles and grunts, Br\u00ecghde was soon astride a very tall, very broad horse. The four conferred among themselves whilst she arranged herself, tucking her skirts around her legs to protect them from the chafing of the leather.<\/p>\n \u201cShow your hands, my lady,\u201d the earl said, after which a rope was wound \u2019round her wrists tightly enough so that she could not escape and loosely enough that she could hold onto the pommel.<\/p>\n They set out again though now very slowly and impossibly quietly for four horses and armored men. The earl led the way for what must have been the better portion of two hours. Br\u00ecghde\u2019s eyes had gradually accustomed themselves to the dark enough to see shadows, trees and such, downed logs they must traverse, a stream at which they stopped for a long drink and to replenish their flasks. Br\u00ecghde\u2019s gag was removed and she was given to drink, of which she did, for a long while and requested more.<\/p>\n \u201cNeed you answer nature\u2019s call again?\u201d the earl asked, and again she wondered at his consideration, within the rules (she presumed there were rules) of abduction.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, but I might as well, whilst we\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n He took the ropes off her wrists, then lifted her down from the horse. Once again, she stumbled, even more sore than before and starting to feel all her bruises. She grimaced and groaned with every footstep around a big tree. Once she had finished, she emerged to find all four with their heads together and murmuring. She was only a few feet away from them and still could barely hear their voices at all.<\/p>\n She tilted her ear back the way they had come and heard nothing but faint rustles she assumed were night rodents.<\/p>\n \u201cWe camp tonight, my lady,\u201d whispered the earl in her ear.<\/p>\n She jumped, startled out of her wits, as she had not heard him approach even though she was listening to her surroundings.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2019Twill go very badly for you should you run.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just<\/em> told you I needed to be rescued,\u201d she said snidely.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it could be you are cooperating and telling tales so as to effect your escape from us, in which case, I commend your quick thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFair,\u201d she said approvingly, \u201cand thank you for the compliment. However, I am drained and I hurt. I am also hungry. As you have promised not to ravish me, I shall seek the better part of valor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not ravish you, you do not run or cry out? Is that our bargain then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlso feed and water me, don\u2019t bind or gag me, and don\u2019t make me walk.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDone.\u201d<\/p>\n With that, he lifted her back onto the horse without replacing her gag and bonds, and led it across the swift-running stream. The horse\u2019s hoof slipped on the moss on the bank and it was all Br\u00ecghde could do to hold her seat whilst the four men and their beasts navigated into the stream.<\/p>\n Br\u00ecghde knew where they were. She had played here endlessly with her brothers during her childhood and was fairly certain of the terrain. Ever being one to turn a situation to her own advantage, she did not doubt her ability to do so now. The question was if she could think of it quickly enough.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I told you where we are and how to get to the nearest town away from the kirk, would you believe me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d all four men said at once.<\/p>\n \u201cFair,\u201d she said again. \u201cBut for my own comfort, I am compelled to suggest we ford this stream for a generous mile. There is a good area to make camp on this side of the stream, and \u2019twill not leave tracks, although I do not think anyone saw us go into the woods, nor would they think to look there, nor do they know who you are. Besides, they would all have had to spend time running to F\u00e0ileach to fetch their horses and armor, which is a good five miles away from the kirk. The other<\/em> way.\u201d<\/p>\n No one moved or spoke for a good two or three minutes. When the silence lengthened, she said, \u201cI know you don\u2019t want to trust me, but I would really like to go to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs it happens,\u201d the earl said slowly, \u201cthat was our exact plan.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh!\u201d she chirped. \u201cNow you have proof I am willing to fall in with you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo not make me regret trusting you, my lady,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n When she escaped, it wouldn\u2019t be back to her father, for a certainty. She needed to plan.<\/p>\n They set off down the stream. Once they arrived at their campsite, Br\u00ecghde said softly, \u201cThere is a ledge some two hundred feet away from here under which you may light a fire.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you know these things, my lady?\u201d one of the knights asked as the earl lifted her off his horse.<\/p>\n \u201cMy brothers and I played in these woods for years.\u201d<\/p>\n No one said anything, but presently she heard a flint and saw a spark in the darkness. She waited patiently whilst the earl and his men divested themselves of their mail, leaving them clad in their leather gambesons. By the meager light, they silently retrieved crosses from their packs and stuck them in the ground to hang their mail on, then loosened the girths on their horses\u2019 saddles. They led the beasts to the stream from which they drank greedily. \u2019Twas a cool night and Br\u00ecghde\u2019s wedding dress was heavy, but her slippers weren\u2019t, and the moisture from the moss seeped through. She sighed. Cold, wet feet were the bane of her existence.<\/p>\n \u201cMy lady,\u201d the earl said quietly as he led Br\u00ecghde to the fire and gallantly seated her on a coarse blanket, \u201cyou may sleep next to me and trust I will not ravish you, or you can sleep on your feet tied to a tree.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith you,\u201d Br\u00ecghde said immediately.<\/p>\n \u201cI cannot believe your groom was that undesirable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe entire circumstance was untenable.\u201d<\/p>\n The men chuckled low in their chests, then sat around the fire with their packs, digging in. She took her slippers off and set them by the fire to dry, then she stretched out to warm her feet. The earl threw a canvas sack in her lap before sitting beside her with his own.<\/p>\n \u201cYou came well prepared,\u201d she muttered as she explored her sack to find a goodly amount of bread and cheese, as well as several pears. There was also a full bladder. She uncorked it, but the earl snatched it from her.<\/p>\n \u201cCareful, my lady. \u2019Tis a fine vintage of wine I enjoy, but do not suck it down as if \u2019tis a cheap ale or fresh spring water.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. Thank you,\u201d she said as he gave it back to her. She sipped and savored it. \u201cGood Lord, that is excellent.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI told you.\u201d<\/p>\n Then Br\u00ecghde fell silent as she ate\u2014the first meal she\u2019d had since breakfast, after which the day had been taken up with wedding business. The bread was hearty. The cheese was of a quality to match the wine. The pears were crisp and sweet and perfectly complemented the cheese. \u201c\u2019Tis likely the most delicious meal I\u2019ve ever had,\u201d she muttered to herself around her bite. She might be a lady, but she had been brought up with boys and these men were warriors. They should have no reason to take offense at her lack of propriety.<\/p>\n \u201cHunger is the best sauce.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed. May I fetch more water?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNay,\u201d he said as one of his men arose and went to the stream to fill a bladder. Whilst he was there, he settled the horses for the night. When he returned he handed the water to Br\u00ecghde without a word.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n Br\u00ecghde had no idea what time it was, but now that she was a little rested, fed, watered, and her feet warm and dry, she was beginning to grow sleepy. It had been a very long day, and she was far more pleased with this ending than the one she was fated to endure. Fortunately, this tiny, sheltered glade almost felt like home, she had spent so many a night sleeping here, this brother or that brother scattered about. She had a favored sleeping spot, but she wasn\u2019t sure she would be \u2026 able to \u2026 make \u2026<\/p>\n ★<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u2026 and then suddenly it wasn\u2019t. So what happened was, 1520 Main was a very difficult book to write for many reasons. It wore me out. I already had two titles on the table awaiting my tender hacksaw that I did not want to work on. I had had, in the back of my mind, since […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[463,424],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kenard-chronicles","category-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9821"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9821"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23950,"href":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9821\/revisions\/23950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moriahjovan.com\/talesofdunham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
APRIL 1420<\/strong><\/p>\n