Blog tour ~ extract: The Lost Queen by Carol McGrath

I am delighted to share an extract today ~ thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for organizing.

Check out what my fellow bloggers thought of this one ⤵

Genre ~ Medieval Historical Fiction

Publication date ~ July 18, 2024

Est page count ~ 373

Add to your never ending TBR ~ goodreads

Extract:

Blondel and The Lost Queen

Blondel is a voice in The Lost Queen. Here is where he first appears to compose a song with King Richard before Richard and Berengaria marry.

Extract

Blondel entered the King’s chamber after supper. The Count of Flanders was sharing a cup of wine with the King. The musician fell to his knees.

‘No need for the obeisance,’ the King said, idly sipping his wine. At once, Blondel scrambled to his feet. He felt the King studying him. But it was Count Philip who addressed him. ‘The King remembers you. He tells me he heard you play and sing in the Castle of Shadows in Bordeaux a few years ago.’ Count Philip smiled at Richard, who was studying Blondel’s lute.

King Richard leaned forward and spoke in a deep voice. ‘I admire music very much, Master Blondel. But, I wonder, can you help me compose a song. Your song for my bride was delightful and I would also like to arrange verses for my lady.’

‘It would be an honour,’ Blondel found himself saying without hesitation.

‘Then I shall retire,’ Count Philip said and rose from his chair. ‘I am weary tonight.’

That evening, Master Blondel lost himself in the arrangement he suggested to the King. Richard possessed a musical ear and a talent for composition. Blondel was delighted to discover such a genuine love for music and poetry. The candle clock burned down several notches. It was growing late. Sadly, they must stop. As Blondel slung his lute over his shoulder, King Richard promised him that he would sing at the wedding feast and he would travel with Berengaria to Outremer.

Blondel was so overjoyed that he would accompany the beautiful women on their forward voyage he wore a grin plastered upon on his countenance for days. King Richard had honoured him above all the other talented trouvères who had gathered around the two kings in Sicily. He would be moving within the most elite of circles. What adventures lay ahead!

Later Blondel becomes very important as he is employed as a spy within the French camp.

‘I am sorry for Count Philip’s death, Master Blondel. He is a great loss to the Crusade and to us. I am sure we would welcome you, but . . .’ she leaned forward, ‘I think my husband might wish you to remain where you are.’

Blondel looked crestfallen. ‘Why?’ His expressive eyes had filled with sorrow. Clearly, he disliked King Philip as much as she did.

‘Because,’ she said, ‘it’s useful to be aware of what is going on in the French camp. If you listen hard when you play for King Philip, you’ll hear what is discussed amongst the French.’ She lowered her voice. ‘Philip of France tried to turn Tancred against us. He also supports Conrad of Montferrat, I hear tell. He denies that King Guy is the true King of Jerusalem.’

Blondel lifted his clear blue eyes. ‘I would be proud to serve King Richard, Queen Joanna and yourself, your Grace. Still, if you wish it, I shall return to the French . . . for now.’ He sounded disappointed.

‘I see you have your lute with you. Would you play for us this morning whilst we work on our

tapestry?’ Berengaria bit into a sweet cake and proffered the plate to the trouvère. ‘But try one of these seed cakes first. They are delicious.’ Blondel accepted. Berengaria cupped a hand to her ear. ‘Yes, there’ll be a great crush down by the harbour. No point in joining it. We’ll wait here for Richard to remember he has a wife and a sister. Let him come to us.’

Book blurb:

1191 and the Third Crusade is underway . . .

It is 1191 and King Richard the Lionheart is on crusade to pitch battle against Saladin and liberate the city of Jerusalem and her lands. His mother, the formidable Eleanor of Aquitaine and his promised bride, Princess Berengaria of Navarre, make a perilous journey over the Alps in midwinter. They are to rendezvous with Richard in the Sicilian port of Messina.

There are hazards along the way – vicious assassins, marauding pirates, violent storms and a shipwreck. Berengaria is as feisty as her foes and, surviving it all, she and Richard marry in Cyprus. England needs an heir. But first, Richard and his Queen must return home . . .

The Lost Queen is a thrilling medieval story of high adventure, survival, friendship and the enduring love of a Queen for her King.

Acclaim for Carol McGrath’s ROSE trilogy:
‘Powerful, gripping and beautifully told’ KATE FURNIVALL on The Silken Rose
‘A tour de force of gripping writing, rich historical detail and complex, fascinating characters’ NICOLA CORNICK on The Stone Rose
‘A beautifully narrated novel’ K J MAITLAND on The Damask Rose

Purchase Link – https://tinyurl.com/5n8ab2xv

Author Bio – Following a first degree in English and History, Carol McGrath completed an MA in Creative Writing from The Seamus Heaney Centre, Queens University Belfast, followed by an MPhil in English from University of London. The Handfasted Wife, first in a trilogy about the royal women of 1066 was shortlisted for the RoNAS in 2014. The Swan-Daughter and The Betrothed Sister complete this highly acclaimed trilogy. Mistress Cromwell, a best-selling historical novel about Elizabeth Cromwell, wife of Henry VIII’s statesman, Thomas Cromwell, was republished by Headline in 2020. The Silken Rose, first in a medieval She-Wolf Queens Trilogy, featuring Ailenor of Provence, saw publication in April 2020. This was followed by The Damask Rose. The Stone Rose was published April 2022. Carol is writing Historical non-fiction as well as fiction. Sex and Sexuality in Tudor England was published in February 2022. The Stolen Crown 2023 and The Lost Queen will be published 18^th July 2024. Carol lives in Oxfordshire, England and in Greece.