Nessa’s Seduction by Jayne Castel

HISTORICAL NOTES

I did A LOT of research for this series!

Of course, this story-world blends a touch of fantasy with real historical fact (as The Immortal Highland Centurions did), however, I took care to base my witches of the Guardians of Alba order on ancient Celtic druidic and Wiccan practices, to give the order a feeling of authenticity.

My references to The Three goddesses (The Maiden, The Mother, and the Crone) come from Celtic mythology, as do my references to their power being related to the moon. Each moon of the year had a different name and significance, and each phase of the moon held a specific power. From the Wiccan religion, I brought in the use of the elements, candle magic, and crystals—and the use of the words ‘craft’, ‘witching’, and ‘workings’ to describe magic and spell casting. Both Celtic and Wiccan practices had a strong ‘feminine’ influence, which I really enjoyed exploring with my bandruì. I wanted their practice to be largely positive and life-affirming.

I really enjoyed researching the historical backdrop to their novel (and indeed the whole series). If you read The Immortal Highland Centurions, then you will have already met King Edward I of England (also known as ‘Longshanks’ or ‘The Hammer of the Scots’). That series also featured William Wallace as a side character. However, this one is focused on the rise of Robert Bruce to power (with the ‘behind-the-scenes’ help of our witches!). We’ll be meeting the Bruce in the next book! In 1304, when this novel is set, Robert Bruce had yet to start causing problems for the English.

In 1304, Edward of England lay siege to Stirling Castle. The siege lasted from the beginning of April and ended on 24 July. Sir William Oliphant defended the castle with a garrison, while Edward attacked with a number of siege engines (including Le Berefry) and the infamous Warwolf (which you’ll also meet in the next book in this series!).

Edward attacked the castle for four months, using lead balls (stripped from nearby church roofs), stone missiles (from a nearby quarry), and Greek fire. When Oliphant initially refused to surrender, Edward was quoted as replying: “If he thinks it will be better for him to defend the castle than yield it, he will see.” I used a slightly altered version of this statement in this novel!

During the siege, Edward of England nearly lost his life twice. Once when a crossbow bolt struck his saddle, and then when a boulder (launched by a catapult on the walls) fell just a foot or two from him. I incorporated both those incidents in the battle scene where Hugh is injured.

Eventually, Oliphant surrendered to the English … but I’ll provide more historical details about that in the back of the next installment in the series, FYFA’S SACRIFICE.

As with my previous series, I’ve tried to remain largely faithful to the historical representations of Edward I England. He was indeed an aging warrior king, and his son Prince Edward did accompany him on his campaigns to Scotland, helping him to conquer the Scots. His second wife, Margaret, also traveled with him. As I show in this novel, Edward was famously ‘lucky in love’. He adored his first wife, Eleanor (who bore him 16 children!), and although his second wife, Margaret, was indeed forty years his junior, the couple were reputed to be very happily wed. She bore him three children, and when Edward died in 1307 (of dysentery), she said: “When Edward died, all men died for me.”

All the settings in this novel are based on real locations:

Dunfermline: this town, which is overlooked by a commanding abbey, was where the English army did winter in 1303/4.

Stirling: this fortress (which I also feature in my Immortals series) was indeed ‘the brooch that holds Scotland together’. The Siege of Stirling was a landmark victory for the English during the Wars of Independence. However, it was not an easy one.

The Wailing Widow Falls: I came across a picture of these waterfalls a few years ago … and just knew that, one day, I’d write about them. Located in the northwest of the Highlands in Assynt (Caithness/Sutherland and Ross-shire), these massive falls run out of Loch na Gianmhich, crashing into a narrow gorge at the bottom. There are many tales associated with their evocative name, although the one I used is a variation of a story of a deer hunter who fell from the top while hunting in a thunderstorm. The next morning his mother, filled with grief, hurled herself to her death from the same spot. In my version, it’s his wife who does so … after all, it is calling the Wailing Widow Falls. Of course (to my knowledge) there isn’t a cavern hidden behind the waterfalls!

Grosmont Castle: the fortress (today an impressive ruin), which indeed means ‘big hill’ in French, is located in Monmouthshire on the Welsh Border. Grosmont (as well as Skenfrith and White Castle) was one of the‘Three Castles of Gwent’ built by the Normans to control this key section against Welsh uprisings. The De Burghs did rule the castle for a spell—one Hubert de Burgh was once lord of Grosmont. However, my hero, Hugh, is an entirely fictional character.

I also used an old Scottish proverb in this novel: If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. It actually wasn’t first recorded in written form until the 1600s, but I decided to alter the timeframe a little!

I hope you enjoyed this window into the research, settings, and background to the novel. All these details help to make the story all the richer!