Series are clearly marked. All series contain the same characters or family groups except the American Heroes Series, which is an anthology with unrelated characters.

There is NO particular chronological order for any of the novels because they can all be read as stand-alones, even the series.

For more information, find it on Amazon in
A Reader’s Guide to the Medieval World of Le Veque.

Author’s Note

Welcome to Atticus’ story. We have some interesting names in this tale, so I want to make sure we’re all on the same page with pronunciations (the emphasis is on the capitalized syllable):

Isobeau – Eees-uh-BO

Tertius – TER-shiss

Titus – TIE-tus

Warenne – war-EN (if you recall, de Warenne was the family name of Davyss de Winter’s mother, Lady Katharine, in LESPADA)

“A Day of Much Slaying”

That’s what the Battle of Towton was called, which is a major battle in the War of the Roses. It was also a battle that was fought in late spring in a blizzard and is one of the more terrible historical battles ever fought in England. If the men weren’t freezing, then they were drowning in the river north of the battlefield as they tried to flee. It’s said that so many men drowned in the river that they created a human bridge for the remaining armies to flee across. Over 70,000 men faced off on the field that day; 42,000 Lancastrian alone, so this was an absolutely massive battle. Towton is to England what Antietam is to the American Civil War. The total dead at Towton were estimated at 1% of England’s population, or about 20,000 men. Towton plays a small but pivotal role in this novel.

Also, let’s clarify the family ties here of the secondary characters because there are a lot. It’s probably best to do it this way rather than a diagram:

• Warenne de Winter – descendent of Davyss de Winter (LESPADA)

• Maxim de Russe – son of Sir Bastian de Russe (BEAST) and his wife, Lady Gisella le Bec. Gisella is the youngest daughter of Sir Richmond le Bec (GREAT PROTECTOR).

• Alec le Bec – son of Gannon le Bec (second son of Sir Richmond le Bec) and his wife, Lady Sparrow Summerlin. Alec is named for his ancestor, the great Alec Summerlin (THE LEGEND).

• Adam Wellesbourne – Married to Audrey Wellesbourne, Maxim’s sister and the daughter of Sir Bastian de Russe and his wife, Lady Gisella. Adam and Audrey are the parents of Matthew Wellesbourne (THE WHITE LORD OF WELLESBOURNE). This means that Matthew Wellesbourne has the blood of Richmond le Bec and Bastian de Russe in him, among others.

• Kenton le Bec – son of Stefan le Bec, who is the eldest son of Richmond le Bec (GREAT PROTECTOR), and his wife, Lady Arissa (who is the bastard daughter of Henry VI). Kenton is Richmond’s eldest grandchild.

• Tertius de Shera – a descendant of Maximus de Shera (THE THUNDER WARRIOR) and Lady Isobeau’s brother.

It’s all very complicated, but suffice it to say that all of the le Bec knights, as well as Maxim de Russe, are related to Henry VI through their grandmother, who is the bastard daughter of Henry IV (read GREAT PROTECTOR for this background if you haven’t yet already), so fighting for Henry’s cause for these knights is a given. Warenne de Winter, Earl of Thetford, fights for Henry’s cause because the de Winters always fight for the crown, no matter who it is (or how poor a king he is!).

And there are so many connections in this book! Isobeau de Shera, as mentioned, is descended from Maximus de Shera, so if you haven’t read the LORDS OF THUNDER trilogy, then it’s a must-read. It will give you a ton of insight into Isobeau’s ancestors, the great Thunder Lords. Also, as mentioned, is the Wellesbourne clan (THE WHITE LORD OF WELLESBOURNE). We meet Matthew Wellesbourne’s grandfather and see his father, Adam, as a young man. Matthew’s grandfather, Andrew, is a badass. Enough said.

Lastly, Kenton le Bec, a secondary character, will have his own novel coming out shortly after this one called WALLS OF BABYLON. Don’t miss it. I’m particularly fond of Kenton.

This “author’s note” is a little long, so I’ll conclude by saying I truly hope you enjoy Atticus and Isobeau’s story. If ever two people deserved a happily ever after, these two do.

Hugs,

Kathryn

Prologue

March 29, 1461 A.D.

Battle of Towton, Yorkshire

Ascension of Edward IV

“T
here he is,”
a knight in snow-covered armor hissed. “Do you see him?”

His companion, with a bushy red beard and dirty blond hair, was focused on a copse of white-encrusted trees off to the south. It was early morning and snow was falling so heavily that it was as if a thick blanket of the stuff had been tossed onto them. Breath hung in the air from both man and beast alike, and the sun, though risen, was shielded by heavy clouds.

“I see him,” the knight with the bushy beard said. “He has already deployed all of the men, including his brother. He will not be alone much longer.”

“Are you sure Atticus is away?”

“I am sure. I saw him ride off.”

“Then we must move quickly. We promised Mowbray we would start with Titus.”

“He really wants Atticus.”

“I know. But if we can sway Titus, Atticus should follow.”

Spurring their horses forward, the pair charged down a small and snow-covered incline, heading towards the right flank of the massive Lancastrian army that was poised on the rise, waiting for the Yorkist opposition to move into place. This day had been weeks and months in the making, years even, as the largest army England had ever seen upon her own soil was moving into position to decide the fate of the country. Would Henry VI remain on the throne, or would his young cousin, Edward, wrest the royal reins of command? Well over seventy thousand men would soon decide upon an answer. Hell was coming and it was coming very soon. With that in mind, the two knights made haste towards their target in the distance.

Sir Titus de Wolfe was standing next to his big, brown charger, a mean horse with a fierce temper. He was rather fond of the beast, though, and had been feeding him small green apples and handfuls of oats throughout the morning, an incentive for the horse to obey him. He needed persuasion. As Titus muttered a last few encouraging words to the horse, he had no idea he was being stalked.

The end, for him, was nearer than he knew.

“De Wolfe!”

Titus turned towards the sound of his name, seeing two Northumberland knights riding up to him. These were men under his command, men he had fought with for a few years. He knew and trusted them. He put the apples for his horse back in his saddlebags.

“What are you two doing away from your posts?” he asked. “I told you two to cover the far end of the right flank. Why have you returned?”

The knight with the bushy beard dismounted. “Something very serious, de Wolfe,” he said. “We must speak with you.”

Titus looked up from his saddlebags. “Now?” he asked, perturbed. “The earl wants you in your position, de la Londe. Get to it. We can speak afterwards if there is still a need.”

Simon de la Londe shook his head, ice crystals from his beard raining onto his chest. “I am afraid it is too important to wait,” he said. “I will only take a moment. I come with a message for you.”

Titus scowled. “A message?” he repeated. “From whom?”

“Norfolk.”

Titus’ scowl faded and genuine bewilderment took hold. “De Mowbray?” he asked. “How is that possible? He is not even here yet.”

De la Londe nodded patiently. “He is a few hours out,” he said. “We received his messenger with a message for you.”

BOOK: The Lion of the North

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