Loyal Heart (The Von Wolfenberg Dynasty #1) (23 page)

BOOK: Loyal Heart (The Von Wolfenberg Dynasty #1)

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The
gräfin
, Kristina and Sophia wept openly.

Drogo waited, Löwe’s reins in hand. The ashen-faced lad had retched several times. He too had carved out a place for himself in this happy Saxon household. Brandt had rescued him from having to march with the infantry, though a donkey laden with water canteens wouldn’t be the most comfortable mode of travel.

Mounted, Vidar waited in the field with the von Wolfenberg and Rödermark men, his expression sterner than usual.

There wasn’t a tent or pavilion to be seen between the house and the river.

Brandt rested his chin atop his sobbing wife’s head. “I will return safely,” he promised. “I swear it.
A lover grieves and broods that way, if he is true and far away from the lady who has won his heart.”

Her voice breaking, she sang back the refrain,

“My love, we’re like that vine and tree;

I’ll die without you, you without me.”

She stood on tiptoe, kissed him on the lips, and stepped away to stand with her mother and Kristina.

He took the reins from Drogo and mounted his beloved horse. With one last look at the three women clustered together, cocooned in warm shawls, he turned away and signalled for Vidar to set the men in motion.

His heart was in knots. It seemed God had granted him an infinite blessing, then torn it away. As the column made its way out of the valley, he wondered if he would ever see Sophia again.

FOOTNOTES

If you're intrigued by Blythe and Dieter, their love story is
Carried Away

You’ll find Sophia’s grandparents, Caedmon and Agneta in
A Man of Value

Wild Viking Princess
is Ragna’s story.

Book II of The Von Wolfenberg Dynasty, Lute’s story,
COURAGEOUS HEART
, is coming soon.

APHRODITE AND HEPHAESTUS

Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation. According to one version of Aphrodite's story, because of her immense beauty Zeus fears that the other gods will become violent with each other in their rivalry to possess her. To forestall this, he forces her to marry Hephaestus, the dour, humorless god of smithing. In another version of the story, his mother, Hera casts him off Olympus, deeming him too ugly and deformed to inhabit the home of the gods. His revenge is to trap his mother in a magic throne. In return for her release, he demands to be given Aphrodite's hand in marriage.

Hephaestus is overjoyed to be married to the goddess of beauty, and forges her beautiful jewelry, including the
cestus
, a girdle that makes her even more irresistible to men. Her unhappiness with her marriage causes Aphrodite to seek other male companionship, most often Ares, but also sometimes Adonis.

Aphrodite's husband Hephaestus is one of the most even-tempered of the Hellenic deities, but in the Odyssey, she is portrayed as preferring Ares, the volatile god of war, because she is attracted to his violent nature.

ROGER OF SICILY (RUGGERO)

Roger II (1095–1154) was King of Sicily, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, became Duke of Apulia and Calabria in 1127, and then King of Sicily in 1130. More information can be found at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_II_of_Sicily

POPE AND ANTIPOPE

Anacletus II was an Antipope in a schism caused by the contested, hasty election of Pope Innocent II. More information at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antipope_Anacletus_II

STAUFEN (HOHENSTAUFEN)

There is a wealth of information available on the internet about Friedrich and Conrad Staufen and the powerful Staufen dynasty. If you’d like to know more about the various German duchies (Swabia, Bavaria, Franconia, Saxony, etc.) Google “Stem Duchies.”

ABOUT ANNA

Thank you for reading
Loyal Heart
. If you’d like to leave a review where you purchased the book, and/or on Goodreads, I would appreciate it. Reviews contribute greatly to an author’s success.

I’d love you to visit my newly revamped
website
and my Facebook page,
Anna Markland Novels
.

Tweet me @annamarkland, join me on
Pinterest
, or sign up for my
newsletter
.

Passion conquers whatever obstacles a hostile medieval world can throw in its path. My page-turning adventures have earned me a place on Amazon’s All-Star list.

Besides writing, I have two addictions-crosswords and genealogy, probably the reason I love research.

I am a fool for cats.

My husband is an entrepreneur who is fond of boasting he’s never had a job.

I live on Canada’s scenic west coast now, but I was born and raised in the UK and I love breathing life into European

history.

Escape with me to where romance began.

I hope you come to know and love my cast of characters as much as I do.

I’d like to acknowledge the assistance of my critique partners, Reggi Allder, Jacquie Biggar and Sylvie Grayson.

MORE ANNA MARKLAND

If you prefer to read sagas in chronological order, here’s a handy list for the Montbryce family books.

Conquering Passion
—Ram and Mabelle, Rhodri and Rhonwen

If Love Dares Enough
—Hugh and Devona, Antoine and Sybilla

Defiant Passion
-Rhodri and Rhonwen