Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick

She refers to her skill as being able to read the Akashic Records. My friend Alison King has the ability to access the past by tuning into the energy patterns of people and places that have gone before. In it she explains the use of “Akashic Records” in her research in addition to the usual primary and secondary sources. Today, I read an interesting guest post by Elizabeth Chadwick on Passages to the Past. I have always been impressed by the milieu she creates. The story winds to a close with the greatest knight of England on his deathbed, having served four English kings faithfully and preserved his honor through good times and bad.Īs I mentioned at the beginning, the historical detail of Chadwick’s books is much to be praised. After his death, William is forced to take the reins of government as regent for John’s young son Henry III. As loathsome as he was, he lent a lot of interest to the story. I was rather surprised to discover towards the end of the book that my favorite character was actually King John. She bitterly resents it when William agrees to turn their sons over to John, and the Marshals’ perfect marriage is sorely tested during these times. William displays an inhuman patience throughout these trials, refusing to rebel in any way against his sovereign. When William and Isabella wish to visit their Irish lands, he demands two of their sons as hostages. To punish William for treating with Philip, John uses his justiciar in Ireland to harass the de Clare lands there. John gives him permission to do this, but later retracts his consent and accuses William of treachery. William, who owns substantial holdings in Normandy, can only keep them by swearing fealty to Philip for them. John wrangles with Philip II of France, losing nearly all the English lands across the water. John is as mean, nasty, and debauched as any devotee of Robin Hood movies would have expected, and even though he is indebted to William Marshal, he will not prove grateful.

King Richard dies soon after the story opens, and William supports John in taking the kingship (despite the complaints of John’s nephew Arthur). In The Scarlet Knight, both William and Isabella find many storms to weather. In the previous book, William married Isabella de Clare and discovered that she was the perfect companion, his safe haven in the storms.

It took me a few chapters to get into the story, but once I did, I was hooked.

The Scarlet Lion follows The Greatest Knight as the second book in Elizabeth Chadwick’s William Marshal series. Chadwick’s novels are beautiful in their historical accuracy, their characterizations, and their storytelling ability. And this is one instance where I agree with the popular voice. Elizabeth Chadwick is considered by most historical fiction readers to be IT.

Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick