The Conquest

Elizabeth Chadwick

A tale of love, betrayal, conflict and loss across two generations, set during the Norman Conquest.

When a comet appears in the sky over England in 1066, Ailith, a young Saxon wife, feels sure that it can only bode well, in spite of her husband’s fears. With a child on the way, the couple are prosperous and content. Yet, within a year, Ailith’s joy turns to heartache as her husband and child are taken from her and the conquering Normans advance.

Ailith’s grief turns to love for a brief period with Rolf de Brize, a handsome and womanising Norman invader. She bears him one daughter, but in the aftermath of the Battle of Hastings she discovers a betrayal she cannot forgive.

Years later, the spirited and strong-willed Julitta is determined to find happiness, and yet her life has been filled with pain: from surviving life in a brothel in Southwark to suffering the anguish of a forbidden love and a bitter, loveless marriage. Her quest takes her on a pilgrimage to Compostela, to a colourful horse fair in Bordeaux and to the terrors of piracy on the open sea.

The best writer of mediaeval fiction currently around’ Historical Novel Review

Elizabeth Chadwick knows exactly how to write convincing and compelling historical fiction’
Marina Oliver