The Scarlet Lion (65 page)

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Acknowledgments

I would like to take a page to say thank you to the various people who have helped me during the writing of
The Scarlet Lion
. First and foremost, I couldn't have written the novel without the research help of my good friend Alison King, who has found for me unique details concerning the lives of William Marshal, his wife Isabelle, and the people surrounding them. Any faults in the interpretation of these details are entirely my responsibility. My thanks also go out to Professor Gillian Polack for her insights into thirteenth-century life and Tamara Mazzei for helping me to piece together the difficult issue of Alais de Béthune and William de Forz.

My agent Carole Blake is always there for me and I'd like to say a huge thank you to her for her efforts on my behalf, and her support as a friend. Thank you also to my lovely editors: Barbara Daniel, Joanne Dickinson, and Sheena-Margot Lavelle at Little, Brown. Also Richenda Todd, who must have suffered many a headache sorting out the mish-mash of alternative dates and seasons left in the course of several drafts of the manuscript!

Online, I must thank the members of Penmanreview and Friends and Writers for their support, friendship, and fun. There are not many places where a writer can speculate on the state of Thomas Becket's undergarments and not be thought strange!

Offline, I send my love to my husband, Roger, for being my own safe harbour and giving me the space I need to write my books. My thanks too, to everyone at Sourcebooks for bringing
The Scarlet Lion
to the United States, especially Dominique Raccah, Shana Drehs, and Danielle Jackson.

Reading Group Guide

1. Religion plays an important role in the everyday lives of the characters throughout the novel. At times this draw to God feels genuine, but other times it seems perfunctory. How does the role of religion in the novel affect the way you view this time period? Do you think the role of religion in society and in individual lives has changed since then? If so, how?

2. There is great contention among King Richard's advisers over who should be named his successor. In what ways would naming Arthur king instead of John have changed the character and role of William? How might the events of the novel been different? Do you think Arthur would have made a better or worse ruler than John?

3. The love between Isabelle and William is a constant throughout the novel. Even when Isabelle is disgusted with William for giving over her eldest sons to John for training, she performs her duties as wife with an underlying love. Is Isabelle's love realistic? Does William reciprocate her love equally? Do you think the large age difference affects their feelings for each other?

4. In an attempt to stop William from traveling to Ireland, King John requests his second eldest son, Richard, as a hostage. Having been given up as a hostage himself as a young boy, William knows the difficulties his son faces.

Have you ever had to give advice or comfort to someone

you care about, knowing what lay ahead of them would be

difficult? Did your experience with a similar situation make

it easier to know what to say?

5. Jean D'Earley is one of William's most trusted advisors, but when William places Jean in a position of leadership, Jean does not feel he is ready to accept the responsibility. Have you ever been in the same position as Jean, feeling unprepared for a task given to you? How did you overcome your doubt and accomplish what was asked of you?

6. After King John's death, William is offered the opportunity to serve as interim king until Henry comes of age. While this would increase his son's inheritance and his closest friends' wealth, the position would place the stressful weight of a country in civil war squarely on his shoulders. What would you have done in William's place? Does the potential of future wealth outweigh the present stress and worry? What other factors might affect your decision?

7. Throughout the novel, William and Isabelle continue to have children, and as William grows older, he recognizes that he will not be able to have the same kind of relationships with his youngest children that he had with his eldest. How important is the relationship between parent and child in this story? Do you believe that the parent-child relationship is more or less important today? Should a consideration of what roles parents will be able to play in their children's lives contribute to someone's decision to have children or not?

8. When King John assumes control of England, William swears allegiance without hesitation. He remains loyal to England despite his distaste for John. Is William's loyalty commendable, or should he have taken a stand against the immoral and deceitful king? Have you ever had to reconcile your loyalties to a country or organization while

dealing with frustrations with the decisions being made by

its leaders?

9. Both Mahelt and King John's wife are forced into marriages in their teens. Mahelt begins to fall in love with the husband her father chooses for her, but King John's wife marries out of fear and hope for material gain. How do these two presentations of arranged marriage affect your opinion of it? Some cultures still practice arranged marriages today. How would you feel if you were told that your spouse was to be chosen for you by your parents?

10. Isabelle is forced to leave her native country of Ireland to be with William, starting a new family in a foreign land. How hard do you think this was for her? Would you have been able to leave your family and homeland to live with someone you barely know? Have you ever left your homeland for an extended period of time? What kinds of emotional effects did it have on you both abroad and when you returned?

11. When King Phillip encroaches on William's lands, William must ask permission from King John to make a contract with the king of France to protect his possessions. While this seems to be a necessary political move at the time, King John later spins it as an act against England and punishes William. Do you think William's initial decision was the correct one? What does King John's turnaround say about his character?

12. Despite being forced away from home for extended periods of time, William maintains strong relationships with his children. How do you think he manages to preserve these relationships? Are parents who are frequently away from home nowadays, whether serving in the military, traveling on business, or for other reasons, more or less likely to have the same success as William? How do you think

contemporary technology has affected situations of distance

between parent and child in modern times?

13. When William returns to Ireland after being summoned by King John, he is quick to give exemption and forgive those that sought to encroach on his land, and neither Jean nor Isabelle can believe his ability to do so. How would you have responded to a traitor's request for forgiveness? Was this a shrewd political move or a dangerous one?

14. For thirty years, William keeps the secret of his vow to the Knights Templar from Isabelle. Have you ever discovered something that a significant other was hiding from you? Have you ever kept something important from a significant other? Are there some things that should remain secrets, or is honestly really the best policy?

15. By the end of the novel and upon his death, William has accomplished many great things, especially given his impoverished upbringing. Of all his accomplishments, which do you think he considered his greatest? What do consider your own greatest accomplishment or goal?

16. At the end of the novel, Isabelle is working on a tapestry of the scarlet lion. What is the meaning of this image? Does the meaning of the scarlet lion change from the beginning of the novel to the end? Does the scarlet lion have different meanings for different characters?

About the Author

Elizabeth Chadwick lives in Nottingham with her husband and two sons. Much of her research is carried out as a member of Regia Anglorum, an early medieval reenactment society with the emphasis on accurately re-creating the past. She also tutors in the skill of writing historical and romantic fiction. She won a Betty Trask award for
The Wild Hunt
, her first novel, and was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelist's Award in 1998 for
The Champion
, in 2001 for
Lords of the White Castle
, in 2002 for
The Winter Mantle
, and in 2003 for
The Falcons of Montabard.

For more details on Elizabeth Chadwick and her books, visit
www.elizabethchadwick.com.