Adam de Guirande owes his lord, Roger Mortimer, everything — his life, his lands, even the wife he believes to be Katherine de Monmouth.
In the Shadow of the Storm is set during one of the most turbulent periods of Edward II's reign. What first drew you to this fascinating and often overlooked chapter of English history?
I must blame it all on historian Ian Mortimer, who wrote an utterly fascinating non-fiction book about Roger Mortimer. Not that I am entirely sure it is an overlooked chapter – there’s a lot of stories featuring Edward II, whether it be him thatching houses or cavorting with Piers Gaveston and other male favourites. I rather like Edward II—as a man. Not so much as a king…
Adam de Guirande owes almost everything to Roger Mortimer, yet his loyalty is tested as the political situation deteriorates. What interested you most about exploring the relationship between personal loyalty and political ambition?
I think people as ambitious as Mortimer have the capacity to surround themselves with people they trust and whose loyalty they inspire. Adam has no political ambitions of his own, and he often worries that his lord and master is overreaching—and yet, he rides with him, towards potential ruin. Yes, he is honour-bound to do so, but for Adam there is never any choice, and I found it fascinating to describe a man who would—literally—ride to his own death rather than fail his lord. Not everyone would have done so, but as you point out, without Mortimer, Adam would have had nothing—likely not even his life.
The relationship between Mortimer and Adam is one of mutual deep affection, even love, and trust. But there is never any doubt as to who calls the shots, and who follows.
Kit enters the story carrying a secret about her identity. How important are themes of belonging, legitimacy, and self-discovery to her journey?
One moment, Kit is the daughter of a grieving widow, the next she realises her mother was never married to her father—and has lied to her throughout her childhood. One could imagine this would lead to a lot of anger towards her mother, but Kit belongs in a time where a woman who became pregnant out of wedlock had to invent a story or be permanently shamed. Kit’s mother is lucky in that Kit’s father chooses to provide for them—but the price is that they remain out of sight. Well, until his wife realises Kit is the solution to a very, very hairy problem.
Kit is constantly aware of being illegitimate, of not really being good enough to be the wife of up-and-coming Adam. She especially detests having been party to tricking him into marriage, even if she had no choice but to obey the utterly scary Lady Cecily, her father’s wife. Once Adam finds out the truth, there are times when he rubs her nose in her bastardy—shame on him!—but Kit is strong enough to remain true to herself despite her entire world having been turned upside down. Strong enough to prove herself, not only to Adam, but the world at large.
Roger Mortimer is one of the most compelling and controversial figures of fourteenth-century England. What challenges did you face in portraying such a complex historical character?
There’s a reason I’ve chosen not to have Mortimer as a POV character, because he is hard to get to grips with. His ambition and his hatred for the Despensers (just as ambitious, just as hating, but with the benefit of having the king on their side) was relatively straightforward. But this is a man who has close friendships with men high in the Church hierarchy while also (in my depiction) engaging in adulterous affairs—somewhat contradictory, especially as I believe he genuinely liked his wife—how else to explain all those children? Depicting him through Adam’s eyes simplifies him somewhat: to Adam, Mortimer is primarily the man who saved him, and accordingly, he can be forgiven almost anything.
One of the strengths of the novel is the way the intimate story of Adam and Kit unfolds against the backdrop of national upheaval. How do you balance personal relationships with major historical events?
My characters are obliged to live in the midst of all that turmoil, and I use their personal moments to contrast against the threatening reality around them. What makes their personal story interesting, what creates tension, are the outside events they somehow have to survive, those moments when their lives hang in the balance makes their more quiet times all the more precious.
Much of your work explores people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. What is it about individuals living through times of political and social turmoil that appeals to you as a writer?
The drama! The obligation to somehow find the fortitude within to survive, to learn to adapt.
Historical fiction readers often know how major events will unfold, yet your novels still create a strong sense of tension and uncertainty. How do you maintain suspense when writing about real history?
What a difficult question! I think I manage to make it very much about the people involved, creating characters based on real-life people that my readers can bond with, maybe hoping I will go for an ending that is less historically accurate. I don’t. Instead, I invite my readers along on a journey towards a defined end, hoping to make the journey, rather than the ending, gripping.
Research is clearly an important part of your writing process. What discoveries about the reign of Edward II surprised you most while working on this series?
Edward II himself—a deliciously complex character. Edward II is one of those kings who suffers from being defined by tall stories about him—like his purported, extremely violent death. What I discovered was a king who would have preferred not to be a king and who was always being compared to his taller-than-life father. Edward was as brave as daddy. He was evidently a skilled horseman, a competent jouster, but lacked his father’s strategic skills. He also had a tendency to surround himself with men his nobles didn’t particularly like—Piers Gaveston’s greatest sin from the nobility’s perspective was that he was a Gascon upstart (who also was quite good at making Edward II laugh at the nobles’ expense). In Edward, I met a devout man, a man who enjoyed music and bodily pursuits such as rowing, a man who seems to have been a devoted father and, initially, a good husband. But he was also the man who abandoned his queen and her ladies to flee on their own from the Scots in his haste to keep himself safe . . .
Looking back on your career as a historical novelist, how has your approach to storytelling evolved since you first began writing?
I have become braver. In my latest release, I actually have real people as POV characters, something I wouldn’t have dared to do before. I am also less stressed by those moments when my story takes off in a different direction than expected—I trust my skills to harness these creative surges and somehow bring all my various threads together in a satisfactory ending.
In the Shadow of the Storm is the opening novel in The King's Greatest Enemy series. What do you hope readers will take away from Adam and Kit's story as they embark on the journey ahead?
That great ambition comes at great cost—not only for the ambitious leader, but just as much—or even more—for his loyal followers.
Anna Belfrage
