Women in 11thc England were not necessarily the pawns and chattels they later came to be after the Norman invasion. The opening chapters of this book entice the reader in through the gateway to another world, a world in which it is very much a man's world but told from the women's point of view. Then something terrible happens that means that Elditha's life will never be the same again. She will always be loved, her husband tells her and sends her to one of his estates, Reredfelle, where she can live out her life with her children in peace and he will come to her when he can.
Elditha accepts this terrible slight with the resignation of a proud noble lady. Although he professes to love her and only her alone, Elditha is shocked when her lifelong love chooses to put her aside, despite their marriage being legal in the eyes of the law, in order to marry Aldgyth, sister of the Northern earls, thus ensuring their greatly needed support. Elditha dreams of being Queen, but Harold has other ideas. Edward has not even until now, proclaimed his successor but there is a name on everyone's lips - Elditha's husband, Harold, Earl of Wessex is ready to take the crown with the support of the Witan. She arrives with her younger children at court for the Christmas celebrations only to find that the King, who has been on the throne for more than twenty years, is gravely ill. The story begins with King Edward, the Confessor's demise.
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