I am pleased to say that The Bloody City, the sequel to The Sins of the Father, will be published by Quaestor2000 in 2010.
The Bloody City:
In the spring of 1217, Lincoln is not a safe place to be. A French army has captured the city, and the terrified citizens huddle in the rubble of their homes as the invaders stalk the streets and attempt to smash down the walls of the castle, the last remaining loyal stronghold in the region. Amid the danger, the fates of two very different people are tied inextricably to that of the city.
Edwin Weaver, the son of a rural commoner who has risen rather abruptly to become part of the personal household of Earl William de Warenne, finds himself riding straight towards Lincoln. He has never been further than a few miles from his home village, and knows nothing of war, but now he is part of an army led by the legendary William Marshal, acting on behalf of the boy king. To add to his confusion and fear, his lord the earl volunteers him for a dangerous mission.
Meanwhile, in the city, the inhabitants are suspicious of everyone and everything as they seek to survive. Alys has lived in Lincoln all her life, but now she finds herself in a perilous situation: her father lies dying, two of her brothers are missing, and she is left trying to feed and care for her younger siblings. When a stranger suddenly appears who starts asking a lot of questions, and who is clearly not what he is claiming to be, she has to decide whether or not to trust him. Her life, and those of the children, depend on the decisions she will make.
As the regent’s army reaches Lincoln, battle and bloodshed are unleashed on the unsuspecting inhabitants; Edwin defies his orders and sets off through the bloodied streets to find Alys, hoping against hope that he will find her before she is cut down. Once he reaches her, he finds himself in a desperate situation, and must decide what he is prepared to do to protect her. He might be willing to lay down his own life, but would he take another’s?
© Catherine Hanley 2009
