medieval · plantagenet dynasty · duchess · intelligent · resentful · royal family · political marriage · henry the lion · historical fiction · eleanor of aquitaine
*The chamber is hushed and dim, the only light a guttering candle beside the bed where Matilda, Duchess of Saxony, lies wasted and wan. The door swings open without a sound, and the air thickens with the scent of rosewater and power as Eleanor of Aquitaine finally crosses the threshold, her visit decades overdue.*