The Herb Knot
by Jane Loftus
The Hundred Years’ War comes to life in this spellbinding tale of love, betrayal and conspiracy…
A quest born on the battlefield will change a young boy’s destiny…
Rafi Dubois is five years old when his mother is murdered after the Battle of Crecy in 1346. Alone and lost, Rafi is given a token by the dying Englishman who tried to save his mother’s life: a half-broken family seal which he urges Rafi to return one day to Winchester.
Years later, when Rafi saves a wealthy merchant’s wife from a brutal robbery, he is rewarded with the chance to travel to England, taking the seal with him.
But when he reaches Winchester, Rafi finds himself in a turbulent world full of long-held allegiances, secrets and treachery. His path is fraught with danger and with powerful enemies working against him, Rafi falls in love with Edith, a market apothecary. But in doing so, Rafi unleashes a deadly chain of events which threatens to overwhelm them both…
The Herb Knot is a sweeping and passionate novel set in one of the most tumultuous times in English history, from a powerful new voice.
Meet Rafi, Hugh, and Roger!
Rafi
Many of the motivations and challenges of my characters came about organically – Edith, for one, and I hadn’t planned for Domneva to turn poisoner until I wrote the scene where she sees the painting.
However, as Rafi was the main character his arc was more carefully planned. He was a prevaricator, a cowardly lion and he needed to grow out of that by the end of the book. He ran the risk of being a dull goody two shoes so I gave him a little sarcasm and a touch of intellectual pride from the start. And he clearly fancied the pants off Edith very early so chastity was not on the cards however long he’d been in a monastery.
The motivation which got him there had to fit his personality. Fame and fortune would never suit him, but love, family and honour did. He was always going to honour his promise to the dying man, try to at least find out who had destroyed his family, and his love for Edith pushed him towards a drastic act of revenge. He finally dropped his terrible habit of procrastination at the point of near death and came out the other side. He didn’t get a drastic makeover but I didn’t want him to.
A lot of his challenges were own goals. Dithering, lack of confidence a tendency to be overly deferential. But he stuck to his moral code. No, he was not going to get involved in smuggling, two timing your girlfriend is wrong (looking at you, Adam), and adventure was not his thing. Until it had to be, until his heart said no, I can’t put this off any longer and off he went for a showdown with William, all by himself with nothing but his trusty knife and Raymond’s clapped out horse.
Except in the case of Edith, who was married and somehow sent his moral code into a tailspin. But come on, no one is perfect.
Hugh
Hugh, the slightly terrifying Mayor who seemed to be running the city like a de facto King, was fun to write. Didn’t want him to be entirely dangerous to know, or entirely driven by money. Like Rafi, Hugh is motivated by his family ties. He was broken by his brother’s death, then his father’s. He has been holding the business together since he was knee high to a grasshopper and has done it well to honour his family name. Because of that name, he allows his brother to leech off him and behave disgracefully and will not move against him because of his misplaced loyalty to blood ties. Unlike Rafi he doesn’t hesitate to act and get things done – except when it comes to William. Family is his weakness and makes him less than perfect, which I didn’t want him to be because nobody is.
He’s emotionally restrained because it is how he has had to be so I also wanted him to let go a little, which he finally does when he learns about Richard, and his love for Joan adds a little heat to warm the ice. He’s sharp and intimidating but there’s a kindness there that others allude to. He doesn’t evict Edith when he could have done because he felt a responsibility to her when her husband died in his employment, he made sure the nun was properly cared for, his staff respect and trust him. You know there’s more to him but only via others. He has built impregnable defences. Until the end. He’s human and, as Joan proves, capable of deep love.
I may write more about Joan one day, she didn’t get enough space to shine in The Herb Knot. I think she has a story to tell.
Roger
I absolutely love Roger. I enjoyed making him do a complete about turn after he’d spent the entire book being a pain in the backside. His motivation is the most straightforward of the three – loyalty, which runs through him like a stick of rock. He will protect his own at all costs, no questions asked. And he can erase any ill feeling he’s had for you in the past if you prove worthy, as Rafi finds to his benefit. If anyone is a guardian angel, it’s Roger, not Raphael.
He’s been in love with Domneva for all these years and said not one word. His stubbornness and loyalty are a curse in matters of his own heart. I hadn’t even considered a Roger / Domneva love match until I’d already got a long way into the book. He’s known her right from the start, he’s protected this woman out of a desire to right the wrong that someone had done to her but what if it was also out of love?
Whyever not - so I went with it. It seemed right. Part of me wanted to remove her from the Abbey and put the two of them together but it felt too pat. We have no idea how she feels about him and I suspect he’d be too afraid to ask. He can do brave any time you like but love? He’s not so well versed in that. Roger will have to yearn from a distance forever. And don’t you ever, ever look at Agnes funny. He will kill you.
Jane Loftus
Jane Loftus gained a degree in 16th Century European and British history from Surrey before taking a postgraduate degree in modern political history. As a lone parent, she worked in Winchester Waterstones before returning to IT once her son was older. Hugely passionate about the Middle Ages, she drew inspiration for this novel from the medieval layout of Winchester which has been painstakingly documented.
Jane is originally from London but has lived in Winchester for over twenty years. When not writing, she is usually out walking or watching costume dramas on Netflix – the more medieval the better. She also plays far too many rpgs.
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