Ascent
A brutal Viking raid heralds the dawn of a new, powerful dynasty – the House of Normandy
Neustria, Kingdom of the West Franks
AD 890
Fourteen-year-old Poppa’s life changes when Northmen land near Bayeux.
Count Bérengar, her father, submits to them, and she is handfasted to Hrólfr,
the Northmen’s heathen leader, as part of their agreement.
To her relief, Hrólfr leaves immediately in search of further conquest,
only returning to claim her years later. In the face of retaliating Franks,
they flee to East Anglia, where she gives birth to their son and daughter.
When Hrólfr and Poppa return to reclaim Bayeux, his new campaign strikes
at the heart of Frankish power, and King Charles of the West Franks offers him
a pact he cannot refuse. In exchange for vast tracts of land in Neustria,
Hrólfr must convert to Christianity and accept marriage to Gisela, the king’s
illegitimate daughter.
Poppa’s world shatters. She remains in Bayeux, with her daughter, Adela.
When Gisela arrives one day, demanding she hand over Adela, to be raised in
Rouen, Poppa’s patience is at an end. But Gisela makes for a dangerous enemy,
and only one woman will survive their confrontation high up on the cliffs.
Will Poppa live to witness the dawn of a new era?
ASCENT is the first in a new series about the early women of the House
of Normandy – women whose stories have been forgotten through time.
Until now!
Readers of Viking and medieval fiction will enjoy ASCENT, a fictional
account of the life of Poppa of Bayeux, handfasted wife of Rollo the Viking.
Trigger warning: Loss of a child. Some battle and fighting scenes.
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International
Buy Link: http://mybook.to/NormandyAscent
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RNB6N5L/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09RNB6N5L/
Amazon CA:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09RNB6N5L/
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09RNB6N5L/
Extract from Chapter One.
The residents of Bayeux are attending Easter Mass, which takes hours.
Fourteen-year-old Poppa is bored, and her mind wanders. Then something happens
that breaks the tranquillity of the sermon…
The celebration of the Easter feast – the
most important event of the Christian year – was always a solemn occasion, as
befitted Christ’s death and resurrection. She knew that. But after the third of
the nine Kyrie Eleisons that opened the mass, Poppa’s thoughts had begun
to drift. Like everyone else, she recited and intoned when prompted, but she
much rather wanted to meet with her friend, Landina, by the water mill on the
edge of town. The stream and the meadows were like heaven, unlike this crowded
church where not even the cloying incense could not hide the stench of so many
unwashed bodies.
Where were they, anyway? She cast glances
to either side of her, but saw neither her friends nor their father, the
miller. Perhaps they were behind her. Briefly, she considered turning around,
but Father’s rigid stance changed her mind. Huffing, she shifted her weight to
the other foot and winced at the tingling in her toes.
“Shh!” Father sent her a dark glance
through lowered eyelids. He took sermons seriously, and his strong faith was
the main reason she studied boring Latin with Father Peter.
Poppa knew Father was in part fulfilling
Mother’s dying wish by providing her with a religious education. Mother had
wanted for her to join a convent. But Poppa also knew that she – as the only
daughter of Count Bérengar of Bayeux – would soon become an important marriage
pawn. The notion filled her with trepidation. On her fourteenth birthday,
Father broached the subject for the first time, indicating there were several
potential suitors for her in mind. She’d been praying Ranulf was amongst them,
but his family were far below her own in station. Her hopes faltered, even
though Father had promised to heed her opinion.
He indulged her, that was all. Then he
would follow through with his plans. Much to her annoyance, he’d mentioned
names of several men at the Frankish court. Men or boys of noble birth, all of
them. Resigned, Poppa’s heart had sunk.
Her childish snort at his pledge was
drowned out by a loud “Alleluia!” from the gathered crowd. Swiftly, she
followed Father’s lead and crossed herself, else he would chide her for her
straying mind.
Biting her lip, Poppa focused on Father
Peter’s ramblings, trying to identify words she recognised, and their meaning.
It whiled away the time. Surreptitiously, she changed her weight again.
Moments later, as everyone watched the
priest who had paused in his sermon, his head cocked to the side like a bird’s,
a sound of raised voices reached her ears. It came from outside. Shouts, which
grew steadily closer. But with most of the inhabitants of Bayeux attending
church, what could make such a growing noise?
Father exchanged glances with several men
in the crowd. An imperceptible nod from him, and they slowly edged closer to
him. He spoke in a hushed tone, but Poppa could not hear his words.
More urgent shouting reached Poppa’s ears, followed by screams that pierced the silence.
Cathie Dunn is an award-winning author of historical
fiction, mystery, and romance. The focus of her historical fiction novels is on
strong women through time.
Cathie has been writing for over twenty years. She
studied Creative Writing online, with a focus on novel writing, which she also
taught in the south of France. She loves researching for her novels, delving
into history books, and visiting castles and historic sites. A voracious
reader, primarily of historical fiction / romance, she often reviews books on
her blog, Ruins & Reading.
Cathie is a member of the Historical Novel Society,
the Richard III Society, and the Alliance of Independent Authors.
After many years in
Scotland, Cathie now lives in south of France with her husband, and rescued
Charlie Cat and Ellie Dog. Discover more about Cathie at www.cathiedunn.com!
Website: https://www.cathiedunn.com
Amazon Author Page: https://author.to/CathieDunn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cathiedunn
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CathieDunnAuthor/
Ruins & Reading FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/722966445318513
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/cathiedunnwrites/_saved/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5066224.Cathie_Dunn
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Ascent by Cathie Dunn (Open INT)
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Thank you so much for hosting me today, Kathleen. xx
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