by Jayne Castel
Aelfwyn nodded, although she saw the hesitation on Leofric’s face. She knew he had not been looking forward to bidding his mother goodbye. Aelfwyn and Leofric were heading into East Saxon territory, whereas Halwend and Cynhild were traveling west, hoping to start a new life in Mercia.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather travel south with us?” Leofric asked.
Cynhild favored her son with a soft smile before she rode up next to him. Reaching out, she stroked Leofric’s cheek.
He caught her hand and squeezed it, his eyes glistening. “I’m glad you’ve finally found happiness, mōder,” he said huskily. “It just that goodbye sounds so final.”
“Don’t say it then,” Cynhild replied, her own gaze misted with tears. “Live well son, that’s all I ask of you.”
Leofric nodded before he glanced over at Halwend. He grinned at the older man. “You look after her, or I’ll hunt you down like a dog.”
“Insolent pup,” Halwend growled, feigning annoyance.
Cynhild drew back from Leofric, her gaze meeting Aelfwyn’s. “My son was blessed the day he met you—I wish you both all the happiness in the world.”
Aelfwyn smiled. “And I you.”
Cynhild glanced over at Halwend, her expression turning mischievous. The years had slid away from her since leaving Eoforwic. This morning she looked young and carefree, her long red hair tumbling down her back in soft waves.
“The abbess gifted me the fastest horse in her stables,” she said with a grin. “Are you sure you can keep up?”
Not giving Halwend a chance to respond, she wheeled her horse around and took off west along the causeway. A look of surprise flitted across the warrior’s face before he dug his heels into his stallion’s flanks and thundered off after her.
Aelfwyn and Leofric watched them go. Windræs and Morgensteorra now sidestepped and tossed their heads, eager to be off as well. The couple watched Cynhild and Halwend until they were specks on the western horizon before Aelfwyn turned her gaze back to Leofric.
“You’re not going to challenge me to a race, are you?” Leofric teased.
Aelfwyn reined her pony around, and fell in next to Windræs as they took the southern road. “Not likely.” She glanced back at him and raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t even told me what our destination is yet.”
Leofric winked at her. “That’s because I don’t have one.”
“Hwæt?”
“I’m serious,” he replied, grinning widely. “I grew up in the north—I know little of the rest of Britannia.”
“So what should we do?”
“Travel until we find our new home. I’m still keen to visit the Kingdom of the Kentish.” Leofric’s grin faded, and he reached across, sliding his hand down Aelfwyn’s arm to cover her hand. “Our destination is unimportant—we’ll know the place for us when we reach it. What matters is that we’re together. I’m yours, and you are mine.”
Aelfwyn squeezed his hand back. He was right. Now they were free to choose their own path together, anything was possible.
“Your mother said you were blessed the day you met me,” she murmured, holding his gaze fast in hers, “but I too am blessed. You put me back together again and made life worth living. You’re my savior, Leo.”
He smiled at her, his gaze shining. “And you are my salvation.”
The End
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Thank you
Thank you for reading THE WHISPERING WIND. I hope you found Aelfwyn and Leofric’s love story as thrilling to read as I did to write. Theirs was a real rollercoaster of an adventure.
If you enjoyed this novel, please leave an honest review on Amazon or Goodreads. It would mean a lot to me—and will ensure that others find the book too!
Thank you for your support.
Jayne
Historical Note
Welcome to the first novel in my ‘Northumbria’ series. The Kingdom of Northumbria rose to dominance during the latter part of the 7th Century. My series follows the reign of two kings: Ecgfrith and Aldfrith (Flann Fína)—both the sons of King Oswiu, the king who brought Northumbria to its greatest height during this century.
We already meet King Oswiu of Northumbria in my Kingdom of Mercia series—he famously defeats King Penda at the Battle of Winwaed—but this series focuses on his legacy.
THE WHISPERING WIND features many actual historical figures: Ecgfrith, Bishop Wilfrid, Prior Cuthbert, Abbess Hilda and Sister Elflaeda. It also gives you a peek at the hero and heroine of the second book in the series: Bridei and Hea (they both appear briefly in the first few chapters of the book). However this novel’s hero and heroine are entirely fictional—Leofric and Aelfwyn might well have existed but history only recorded highborn or religious folk back in those days.
I enjoyed incorporating a few famous religious figures of the day into the tale. The isle of Lindisfarena (Lindisfarne) and Streonshalh (Whitby) Abbey were fascinating to research and bring to life. Both Prior Cuthbert and Abbess Hilda have much legend and folklore attached to them. However, I wanted to depict them both as real people—plus to make an effort to recreate the settings as accurately as possible. Anglo-Saxon monasteries were nothing like the medieval ones we associate with the past—life was not quite as structured in those times; men and women often shared monasteries and the buildings were made largely out of wood, rather than stone.
Of course in the interests of telling a good story, an author sometimes has to blur historical fact a little. Ecgfrith did marry a woman who refused to consummate their marriage—however her name was Aethelthryth. Unfortunately, I could not use this character as the real Aethelthryth had actually appeared in my previous novel, DAWN OF WOLVES. I realized that to use her in this story would make her too old! Instead (in my version) her cousin, Aethelhild, travels north to wed King Ecgfrith.
The ‘rising of the tide’ incident toward the end of the book is actually based on a legend surrounding Aethelthryth (or in this case, Aethelhild). She did run away from her husband to become a nun. Pursued by her husband’s men after fleeing south with Bishop Wilfrid, the queen is said to have caused a miraculous ‘rising of the tide’, which prevented his men from capturing her. No one knows if this really happened—but I have put my own twist on the event in this novel.
Your free short story is waiting! Join me in 4th Century Scotland and receive a 7,000-word prequel to The Warrior Brothers of Skye series. Immerse yourself in the Dark Ages!
More works by Jayne Castel
HISTORICAL ROMANCE SET IN DARK AGES BRITAIN
THE KINGDOM OF THE EAST ANGLES
Prequel novella: Night Shadows
Book #1: Dark Under the Cover of Night
Book #2: Nightfall till Daybreak
Book #3: The Deepening Night
The Kingdom of the East Angles: The Complete Series
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Get Jayne's FREE Starter Library and read the prequel novella and Books #1 and #2 to her first series, THE KINGDOM OF THE EAST ANGLES: www.jaynecastel.com/home/sign-up
THE KINGDOM OF MERCIA
Book #1: The Breaking Dawn
Book #2: Darkest before Dawn
Book #3: Dawn of Wolves
Click on the banner below to find out more about this series.
THE KINGDOM OF NORTHUMBRIA
Book #1: The Whispering Wind
Book #2: Wind Song
Book #3: Lord of the North Wind
Click on the banner below to find out more about this series.
HISTORICAL ROMANCE SET IN DARK AGES SCOTLAND
THE WARRIOR BROTHERS OF SKYE
Book #1: Blood Feud
Book #2: Barbarian Slave
Book #3: Battle Eagle
EPIC FANTASY ROMANCE
&n
bsp; LIGHT AND DARKNESS
Book #1: Ruled by Shadows
Book #2: The Lost Swallow
Book #3: Path of the Dark (to be released in 2019)
About the Author
Award-winning author Jayne Castel writes Historical Romance set in Dark Ages Britain and Scotland, and Epic Fantasy Romance. Her vibrant characters, richly researched historical settings and action-packed adventure romance transport readers to forgotten times and imaginary worlds.
Jayne lives in New Zealand's South Island, although you can frequently find her in Europe and the UK researching her books! When she’s not writing, Jayne is reading (and re-reading) her favorite authors, learning French, cooking Italian, and taking her dog, Juno, for walks.
Jayne won the 2017 RWNZ Koru Award (Short, Sexy Category) for her novel, ITALIAN UNDERCOVER AFFAIR.
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