Back in the Middle Ages, Christmas was much more of a
religious holiday than it is today. On the whole, life in those days was based soundly
around the Christian calendar. Saints’ days and holy days abounded, and many
people, especially those in elevated positions, attended church daily, often
multiple times. Indeed, people of means sometimes kept a small chapel on the
estate, and they prayed often. In many instances, the purpose of life here on
earth was considered valuable only as it earned a life afterward in heaven.
This was taught by the church, but not to worry for, if things went wrong, a
sinner’s family could purchase a pardon at the time of his death that would
assure the deceased gained heaven (if they could afford it.)
It's a bit difficult for people of our times to wrap our
heads around a life lived in that fashion. Most of our ancestors weren’t
nobles, but peasants who often lead short and difficult lives, with few earthly
rewards. Who could blame these poor souls for wanting more than one day of
Christmas? Especially if the Church declared there were twelve days between the
birth of Christ and the Feast of Epiphany, when the three wise men arrived in
Bethlehem.
At the time of the Winter Solstice, when dark overtook a
world lit only by rushlights and candles and cold weather suspended many tasks
of those living on the land, the ingrained routine changed. Only think of the delight
of those who had so little being not only allowed but encouraged to bunk off
work. To visit the door of their overlord where wassail or cakes or mince pies
would be distributed. Where, for a short span of time, all men were equal in
the eyes of their God.
Feasts consisted of things we would not touch now. Boars’
heads, and geese and other fowl stuffed with quinces, black (blood) pudding,
and eels. It’s not far from there to seven swans a-swimming (yes, they did eat
swans) and a partridge in a pear tree.
My new Christmas Historical, The Mistletoe Heart, is a Medieval tale that encompasses those twelve days. A young woman, Genevieve DeClare, tries to provide a special twelve days for those she loves. But the guest who arrives is an unexpected one…
Blurb for The Mistletoe Heart:
It’s the Christmas season at Clarendon, and Genevieve
DeClare is determined to provide a joyful holiday for her mother and sister,
despite the losses they’ve endured the past year. The castle is decked with
greenery and she’s planned a lavish feast. Awaiting her guests, her heart longs
for one more thing: the return of her betrothed, Maddox DeVille, who departed
on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land a year ago.
But when an unexpected guest arrives, he’s a stranger. Tomas
Monmercy, a knight newly returned from the Crusades, has traveled many weary
miles to fulfill a promise and bring Genevieve the talisman she entrusted to
Maddox—a mistletoe heart. Tomas considers it a sacred duty. He certainly never
intends to fall in love with the beautiful maiden his friend loved so well.
Excerpt:
A check in his step had him pausing. She could feel the
intensity of his gaze marking her every feature, even if she could not see his
face.
Her mother and her sister both exclaimed, and got to their
feet. Like Genevieve, Gilliane started forward. Genevieve barely noticed. She
reached him first and grasped for his hands.
They felt cold, cold as the grave, and they gripped
Genevieve’s with frantic strength. In one movement, he went down to his knee on
the flagstone floor and tossed the hood back onto his shoulders.
She found herself staring into the face of a stranger.
Not Maddox. Not her friend at all. He could not be more
unlike.
This man had dark hair, a profusion of curls that tumbled
down his neck and over his brow. He had a narrow face bracketed by lines in the
cheeks, though he could not be above a score and five. His eyes, too, were dark
and burned with a kind of passion Genevieve had never before beheld.
“Lady Genevieve DeClare?”
Genevieve tried to recoil but he held the hands she’d
offered so eagerly, held them tight. Behind her, Gilliane cried out. Uncle
Gervase exclaimed and started forward, but she could look nowhere save into
those liquid, dark eyes.
Buy links:
https://www.amazon.com/Mistletoe-Heart-Christmas-Castle-ebook/dp/B0CJVWDYV4/ref=sr_1_1
Amazon Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/Mistletoe-Heart-Laura-Strickland/dp/1509249257/ref=sr_1_1
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mistletoe-Heart-Christmas-Castle-ebook/dp/B0CJVWDYV4/ref=sr_1_1
Amazon Australia:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Mistletoe-Heart-Christmas-Castle-ebook/dp/B0CJVWDYV4/ref=sr_1_1
Barnes & Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-mistletoe-heart-laura-strickland/1144123035?ean=2940186006329
iTunes:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-mistletoe-heart/id6467776418
Laura Strickland enjoys researching interesting new settings for her books. Married, with one grown daughter, she has also mothered several rescue dogs and is intensely interested in animal welfare. Her love of dogs and her lifelong interest in Celtic history, magic and music, are all reflected in her writing.
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Laura Strickland
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