Tanzanite's Shelf and Stuff

My love life is a mess and it’s all Elizabeth Chadwick’s fault. As if it wasn’t enough for her to make me absolutely adore William Marshall in The Greatest Knight and The Scarlet Lion, and to make me swoon over the irresistible Fulke FitzWarin in Lords of the White Castle, now, my affections are further divided with the charming Roger Bigod.


It’s 1173 and young Roger Bigod finds himself in a bad situation – he can’t seem to do anything to please his father and to make matters worse, his father, who has found himself on the losing side of a rebellion against Henry II, has lost the family title and estates as the Earl of Norfolk. Following his father’s death and aggravated by a couple of grasping half brothers and a scheming stepmother, Roger decides to declare his loyalty to the king and heads to court, hoping to regain the earldom.

Ida de Tosney doesn’t have it much better. A ward of the king, she soon finds herself under his admiring glance and not too long after, in his bed. She is horrified but realizes she has little choice in the matter and comes to accept her apparent lot in life – at least for a while.

As Roger and Ida try and navigate their way thru life at court, they notice each other and even enjoy some flirting. But Ida knows that Henry won’t let her go and Roger is not foolish enough to express an interest in the king’s mistress. But following the birth of her son William, Ida begins to see the futileness of her position and she wants something more. Trying to salvage what little is left of her self-respect, Ida manages to have Henry persuaded to do the right thing and give her a husband - Roger.

The rest of the story follows Roger and Ida’s lives following the death of Henry, through the reign of Richard I and into the beginning of life under King John. Due to Roger’s position at court, the pair is often separated and it begins to take its toll on their relationship. Underlying it all is Ida’s feeling of loss and guilt at having to leave her son (who would later be known as William Longespee) behind and the accompanying resentment that creates on both sides.

I liked Roger and Ida and enjoyed watching their relationship develop and grow stronger as they weathered the storms that threatened to drive them apart. In true Chadwick fashion, The Time of Signing is wonderfully researched and makes the time period come alive with its sights and sounds. Chadwick also manages to create likeable characters who aren’t perfect and who struggle with the realities of their lives.

Roger is calm and level headed, courageous and loyal. He is fiercely jealous and protective of his family and eventually manages to earn the respect of Ida’s son and he later helps Ida and William take the first steps towards building a relationship of their own. It was interesting to see William’s view about his parents, his upbringing and his other family members and to watch the hurt young boy who felt abandoned by his mother become a young man who saw that things were not always what he thought them to be. I think William (who became Earl of Salisbury) might be a good subject for his own story.

William Marshall, who was a contemporary of Roger and Ida, makes a few appearances in the book. Unfortunately I suppose the situation with my love life is only going to get worse with the release of Chadwick’s next book about Roger’s son, Hugh. Just don’t tell my husband – I would hate for someone to get hurt…

Rating: Excellent (5 stars)