Publisher's Synopsis
There once lived a knight who loved his lady, his squire, and all his people with a true and honest heart. He enjoyed the respect of his fellow lords, the confidence of his duke, and the faith of his vassals. In a time of brutality and lawlessness across France, he ruled his castle and lands with a just hand, bringing contentment to all around him-contentment to all but one man, whose love for his lord soured into the darkness of hatred. From the early days of chivalry, a time when William the Conqueror still sought comfort from his mother's breast, comes a tragic Norman legend of jealousy and betrayal. Lord Fulk Paynel and his squire, Gaspard Malfort, are like brothers in their devotion and loyalty to one another. They hunt, feast, and ride to war side by side. It is only when they fall in love with the same woman that their bond of friendship begins to fracture. Young Gaspard, both a bastard and an orphan, is hopelessly below the social station of the fair Gisla, who is the only daughter of a wealthy count, Albric de Grentmesnel. Much to the squire's dismay, Gisla encourages Sir Fulk's romantic intentions. From the moment Gisla's father accepts Fulk's proposal of marriage, Gaspard becomes consumed with jealously and hate, angrily coveting all that his lord possesses, including his wife. When the dark mystic, Gregar Penscalus, seeks out the squire and offers him a path whereby he can gain Sir Fulk's station, wife, and lands, Gaspard quickly falls under his sway. How far down the road to perdition will Gaspard travel to gain his worldly desires? What is he willing to sacrifice to become a great man?
