Alfraed has become Earl of Cleveland, but rank brings obligations that are more dangerous than the fighting that earned it. Plots against Henry I threaten the kingdom from Scotland, Wales and across the Channel, while rival nobles test whether the new earl can defend his lands and remain useful to the crown.
Alfraed campaigns first in Britain and later follows Henry into Normandy, where the king’s continental possessions are as contested as his authority at home. The novel follows the growth of a warrior into a political lord, showing how military success creates new enemies and how the conflicts of Henry’s reign are already laying foundations for the succession crisis that will follow his death.
Bernard Cornwell
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M J Porter
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Sharon Kay Penman
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