The Splendid Hour by Kathryn Le Veque
Afterword
I hope you enjoyed Peter and Liora’s story! It was quite a wild ride. The Executioner Knights stories are always a big adventure, anyway, because of the politics involved, but now add a religion other than Christianity into the mix and it makes for even more dimension.
The one thing I wanted to address, as the author of this tale, is the fact that Liora had to convert to Christianity in order to marry Peter. I touched on that in the author’s note, but I didn’t want to give too much away. Please note that this was not a slam against Judaism in any way – in fact, I hope that this tale rather conveyed, in very small part, the beauty of the religion. But the simple fact of the matter is that, in 1215 A.D., the only way Liora could have married Peter is if one of them converted – he offered to, but she chose to (and insisted on it) so they could be together. It was simply a choice to be with the man she loved and not a statement that one religion is better than another.
Although Judaism has been around longer than Christianity, the historical fact is that England was a Christian country in the 13th century. Liora chose to convert for her husband’s sake and nothing more. As we saw at the end, she remained true to the Jewish way of life in many ways. As she said once, both religions worship the same God, so she was comfortable worshipping as both a Christian and a Jew and in introducing her children to both cultures, which Peter wholeheartedly endorsed. They did the best they could with what was really an impossible situation.
In Medieval times, sometimes the world was far too rigid and clear-cut when it came to religion, so keep Liora’s choice in the context of the times. Please keep that in mind. For her to surrender herself for love like that is a testament to her love for Peter – and the fact that he was more than willing to do it, too, was a testament to his love for her.
You can’t always help who you fall in love with, but in Liora and Peter’s case, they did what they had to do in order to see that love thrive.
On another note, this book brings to the conclusion the Executioner Knight’s contentious relationship with John and begins the reign of John’s son, Henry III, who had one of the longest reigns in English history. It’s interesting to note that Henry could not be crowned in London because the French king, Louis, held the city. When the rebel warlords brought the French over to help them get rid of John, Louis took it seriously – and he claimed London until they could get him out.
Lastly – just a mention about John’s death. Officially, it was dysentery but there were rumors for years that it was poisoned ale or bad food (which it very well could have been), so the Executioner Knights and their thallium poisoning fits very well into the legend. Thallium is one of the most deadly poisons on earth and doesn’t leave any trace, so who’s to say that John’s dysentery wasn’t something else? Not me!
Fun historical tidbits during the time of the Executioner Knights.
Oh… and as for young Asa always wanting to be a knight, don’t be surprised if he turns up in a future Executioner Knight book. My sweet little Maccabee!
Thank you for reading!
