Please give a warm welcome to Selia from The Cold Hearth by Garth Pettersen today as we sit down and see what makes her tick.
What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not saving (the world, clients, your mate)?
"My favourite thing to do? I'm not sure I understand the question. I'm not lying-about eating sweetmeats, listening to some scald sing my praises. Is it not enough to live without worrying who will ride over the hill? Who will begin to see my husband Harald as a threat to their ambition? Harald and I are building a decent life for ourselves away from his father's court. Away from the intrigues and whispers. Away from Queen Emma and Harald's cur-dog half-brother Harthacnute, who is King Cnute's heir. The king rules Engla-lond with fairness and strength, Dane and Saxon alike, but when he dies…
"You ask about favourite
things. When a day is filled with blue skies and the sun's warmth, with honest
labour and earned laughter. When I lie in my husband's arms and listen to the
night sounds in our hall: the crackling of the fire, the gentle snoring and tossing
of our retainers and workers, these things I can count as favourites. Perhaps
also the gathering of neighbours, feasting and celebrating together, the birth
of a child, the wedding of a young couple. There is much to rejoice upon in
this short life. One must seize the joy when it comes and not live waiting for
the axe to fall."
What is it about Harald that makes you crazy in a good way?
"Like most men, Harald is pig-headed and full of his own importance. Being son of the king doesn't help cure him of the notion. That said, he is also kind, considerate, and generous. Too generous at times, too trusting, always willing to assist others. When we first met on his journey to Rome with his father the king, I found him impetuous and reckless, but he is a different man now. And I see him changing still as we restore this old hall and carve a life for ourselves—he is becoming a leader of men.
I would say he angers me most when
he ignores a warning and rides toward danger, as if his body won't receive an
arrow's point or slice open on the edge of a blade the same as any yrthling's."
God knows he has the scars to prove of it.
Favorite food?
"There's nothing that equals a
side of cow roasted in the cooking fire, where the very smell gets the
mouth-juices flowing. I know not if I prefer the charred outside pieces to the
rosy and tender inside cuts. A chunk of hot cow meat with a fresh-baked hearth
cake as the ale horn goes around—nothing's much better here in
Engla-lond."
Describe yourself in four words.
"There was a time I would have
said beautiful and clever, but our days are full of labour here in the Midlands
and the flower has begun to wilt. As for cleverness, I become less clever with
each year, though I am still quick enough with my words to call Harald to task.
I would say I am hardworking, loyal, fierce when I have to be, and wise enough
not to be played for a fool."
What do you do for a living?
"A living? What a strange turn
of phrase. Do you mean how do we survive? By our labour, by our land, and by
our wits. The land we have through the king, as well as the coin to start us
off and pay for the few housecarls we have for protection. Our livestock is
growing and we have hopes of strong yields from the field in the coming
year."
What do you fear the most?
"I fear for my husband's life.
He is but one of a handful of athelings (throne-worthies) who could claim the
crown when King Cnute passes. And though he has no burning desire to be king,
he stands in the way of others. Each year that passes, I praise God for it and
try not to look too far into the years to come. Sometimes I believe the only
way Harald will survive his father's passing is to park his ass on the bloody
throne."
Genre: historical fiction
Buy Link: tirpub.com/gpettersen
Heat Rating: 7/10?
Book Blurb:
“The sons of Cnute are dead men.” The
dying words of his brother’s assailant travel across the North Sea to the
English Midlands.
Harald,
the king’s second son, receives the warning while rebuilding a hall where he
hopes to farm and lead a peaceful life with Selia, his Frisian wife. But as the
hall nears completion, they learn the family who lived there before them all
perished in a single night of bloodshed. Could the grounds be cursed?
Now the threat of unknown enemies casts a long shadow. Should they distrust the brooding Saxon neighbor or the two weapon-bearers they hired for protection? Should they suspect either of the two women they have taken on with the other hirelings? Only their Jewish warrior friend, Ravya ben Naaman, seems above suspicion.
Excerpt from The Cold Hearth
Selia and I
returned to the horses and looked across the fields that called for a plowing.
“Well, my dēorling,” I said. “Can you fantasy
this into a home for us?”
Selia smiled
and came close to me, lifting her face to mine. “Neither of us are strangers to
work, and there is no shortage of good English men and women willing to accept
the king’s silver. So yes, we can make this a home, my Harald.” And she kissed
me once again. “How do you like this place?”
“The fact that
the doors are intact shows the hall has not been dishonored. By Danish law, the
doors are all important. One can be fined for removing even a splinter from the
doorframe. And the door rings are circular, reflecting obeisance to the gods
from all who pass the threshold. This house was built with reverence and
adherence to law. I am pleased.
“I wish it
were closer to Fiergen and our friends, but it is far enough from Wintanceaster
that we need not be at the beck of the court. And it is close to others Godwin
and the queen would have us watch.”
“There’s
that,” she replied. “I’m glad we are of one mind about this place.”
“You know what
this holding needs?” I gazed at her, expecting understanding.
“I know that
look,” she said, dropping her chin but continuing to hold my gaze. “You think
it needs loving. But the house is too dirty, and the ground outside is too
damp.”
“You said you
liked the trees, and I have no fear we would bend one over if we leaned upon
it.”
“Then, I think
we have solved more than one problem this day. Lead on, my throne-worthy
husband.”
And I did.
* *
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