Lady of Hay (83 page)

Note on Names

The name of de Braose is variously spelled in the chronicles and subsequent history books as de Briouse, de Breos, and de Briouze as well as de Braose.

Matilda was as frequently referred to as Maude or Maud (the names having the same derivation as Matilda), quite apart from her nicknames in local history and folklore as Moll Walbee, Malld Walbri, and Mallt or Mawd.

Margaret, her daughter, is in some records referred to as Marjorie.

Acknowledgments

I should like to thank all the people who have gone to such endless trouble to help me with the research for this book, particularly Professor Ann Matonis for her translations into Middle and Modern Welsh (for any mistakes in the transcriptions of which I must take the blame). I should also like to thank Dr. Brian Taylor, Dr. Michael Siddons, and Dr. Brian Blandford for their advice on matters medical, heraldic, and musical; my father, who has driven so many miles to double check on locations in the Welsh hills; and Carole Blake, for all her help and encouragement. And finally I must make special mention of Jean Walter, without whose meticulous typing this book might never have been finished!

Barbara Erskine

Llanigon and Great Tey, 1985

Reading Group Guide

1. Joanna is at first skeptical of hypnosis as a means of regression and sets out to write an article debunking it. But after her experience regressing into the life of Matilda, Joanna comes to wholeheartedly believe in hypnosis. Do you believe in hypnosis or past lives? Why or why not? How do your beliefs about hypnosis affect how you read a fictional account like the one in this book?

2. On page 293, Bet Gunning says, “I want to know what it feels like for a twentieth-century woman to go through the time barrier.” Discuss how you would react if you were thrust into the twelfth century. Which aspects of twelfth-century life would you be able to handle, and which do you think you would find more difficult?

3. Richard de Clare is portrayed as a charming and just man, but when Tim is regressed into his life he describes his counterpart as “full of failure and betrayal.” What events in Richard de Clare’s life could be responsible for his anguish?

4. As a child, Tilda is described as cold and indifferent toward her mother. What are some possible reasons for this rejection? As an adult, how does Tilda feel toward her mother?

5. While observing Joanna’s authentic regression, a language expert attempts to rationalize what she is seeing by suggesting that it is “some kind of possession” or “a case of multiple personality” (388). Have you ever encountered something you couldn’t explain, something that appeared to be supernatural in nature? How did you react and why do you think you reacted the way you did?

6. On page 388, Sam says, “people are not reborn without a purpose, Jo. They return to progress or to expiate their sins.” Do you think Joanna was able to complete Matilda’s unfinished business, or will her problems have to be revisited in a future life?

7. Judy uses painting as a constructive way to cope with her strained relationship with Nick and her jealousy of Joanna. Which other characters in the novel have constructive ways of coping with stress? Which characters use destructive methods to escape? What are the constructive ways you cope with stress?

8. Ceecliff is torn between supporting her granddaughter’s decision and doing what she thinks is best for her. How did you react to her decision to let Nick into Joanna’s apartment after being told not to? Would you have made the same decision if you were in her position? How would you have felt if a relative did the same thing to you?

9. Like many siblings, Sam and Nick are extremely competitive with one another, and their rivalry is exacerbated by the unresolved issues in their past lives. In what ways is the relationship between Sam and Nick similar to the relationship between their counterparts, William de Braose and Prince John? In what ways is it different?

10. What role did guilt play in Sam’s dramatic change of heart toward the end of the novel? Were any other characters burdened by guilt? How were they able to find relief?

11. Ann Clements argues that organic farming will lead people back to common sense, health, and sanity. Do you agree with her argument that regression is necessary for progress to be made, or do you support Joanna’s counterargument that “mass produced, mass packaged, and mass managed” (451) is the only path toward progress?

12. Joanna is very amused by the stories of Moll Walbee, the folk tale version of Matilda de Braose. Moll Walbee seems to be an exaggerated version of Matilda; while Matilda was tall, Moll was a giant. Matilda used spells to keep her children safe, and Moll was described as a witch. Consider the other characters in the novel. What would their exaggerated folk tale personas be like? What would your exaggerated folk tale persona be like?

13. Bet is Joanna’s friend, but she is her editor first and foremost. In what ways does Bet act like a friend? In what ways does she act like an editor? Do you think encouraging Joanna to follow Matilda’s story to the end was ethical?

14. Despite the threat of death from the process, Joanna decides to follow Matilda’s life until the very end. What are some possible motivations that led her to this decision? Would you have made the same choice?

15. What do you think would have happened if Joanna had chosen not to follow Matilda’s life all the way to the end? Would she and Nick still end up together?

16. Joanna and Nick have a tumultuous past, but their relationship is slowly repaired over the course of the book. In the end, Joanna chooses to be with Nick despite their problems. How did you react to her decision? What would you have done in Joanna’s place?

About the Author

Barbara Erskine is the author of The Warrior’s Princess as well as
Kingdom of Shadows
,
Encounters
, and
Child of the Phoenix
.
Midnight is a Lonely Place
and
House of Echoes
were shortlisted for the W. H. Smith Thumping Good Read award, and they were followed by
Distant Voices
and
On the Edge of Darkness
. Erskine’s novels
Whispers in the Sand
and
Hiding from the Light
were both
Sunday Times
top-ten bestsellers. Her novels have been translated into thirty languages. Barbara Erskine has a degree in medieval Scottish history from Edinburgh University. She and her family divide their time between the Welsh borders and their home near the coast of Essex.