“Aye, my lord. God is good.” She squeezed his arm and pressed closer.
He looked out over the crowd of people. The servants had gone to lay out the food for the wedding celebration, which would take place in the courtyard of the manor house. All those who now stood before them, who had witnessed their sacred union inside the church, no longer looked like his enemies. They smiled. Many of them carried cakes to stack on top of each other, a traditional way of wishing them good favor. A few of the villagers looked sheepish and avoided his gaze, but no one fled. No one crossed his arms in anger or resentment.
They had all accepted his forgiveness. They all wished them well.
This — this was what he had wanted when he came to Glynval, though he never imagined himself marrying again. He was starting anew, among strangers.
A white flake floated down from the sky. Then another and another, until everyone noticed and looked up.
“It’s snowing.” Annabel raised wide eyes at him and laughed. “It’s snowing before Saint Catherine’s Day.”
The snow raced down in a thick sheet of white, dusting everything and everyone. Children whooped and held out their tongues to catch the flakes. Smiles grew wider on every face. Ranulf said a silent prayer of thanks for the unusual gift then led the whole company toward the manor house.
The irony struck him that he was celebrating his wedding feast in the same place where the jury had accused him of both murder and lechery.
But today it looked different, not like the same place at all. The beautiful blanket of white quickly covered the courtyard, making the town clean and new.
Several voices began to chant, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”
Annabel pulled on his arm, and he turned his attention to her. Snowflakes stuck to her eyelashes and made her blue eyes sparkle. He kissed her.
Cheers went up from the onlookers. He pulled away as music trilled behind him. A lively tune jounced to the beat of a tambourine.
Annabel murmured, “Shall we dance?”
“We shall.”
?THE END?
Author’s Note
Researching for a historical novel is always an adventure, and this book was no exception. I am very grateful for the wonderful research books that are widely available in my library and online bookstores, written by many knowledgeable scholars. I am especially grateful to Frances and Joseph Gies, who wrote, among other works, the fascinating and helpful Life in a Medieval Village. I learned a wealth of information from this book about the judicial system in place in England during the Middle Ages. Often this information came from actual surviving documents quoted by the Gieses. Their meticulous research was just what I needed to piece together my own fictional hallmote and trial, events that are as authentic as I could make them. But any inaccuracies are solely the fault of me, the author of this fictional work.
I would also like to note that at the time of the setting of this story, mid-1300s England, the only translation of the Bible in wide use was in Latin. I chose to use the NIV translation in the scenes in this book, since the NIV most closely mirrors the way I have my characters speak, and also because I don’t understand Latin and I assume most of my readers probably don’t either.
I have always loved the classic Beauty and the Beast story in which the characters fall in love with each other’s inner beauty in spite of outward appearance. I also wanted to explore how it would feel to desperately desire to read the Bible, and to finally get the opportunity to read it for the first time. I explored concepts of discrimination, of unfair treatment based on a person’s appearance, and the interesting concept of owing respect and honor to an earthly lord, as well as a heavenly lord. When I write a book, ideas and issues come into play during the development of the story that I hadn’t planned, and that was certainly the case with The Merchant’s Daughter. So I pray this work of fiction not only entertains you but makes you think — especially about the nature of true love and true beauty.
God bless.
Acknowledgments
Once again, I want to thank my brilliant editor, Jacque Alberta, for her skill, wisdom, and meticulous hard work in editing The Merchant’s Daughter. Her insight and suggestions made this a much stronger story. Words can’t say how blessed I feel to have Jacque as my editor.
I want to thank Linore Burkard, Debbie Lynne Costello, and Heather Burch for their input, critiques, and encouragement.