Читать книгу A Pleasurable Shame - Linda Skye - Страница 6

Author Note

The French countryside has always inspired me—and Normandy is no exception! With miles of sandy coastline, picturesque villages surrounded by windy plains and some of the best food and drink in the world, it’s definitely a place worth visiting and admiring. But to me, Normandy is much more than just a favourite holiday spot-it’s a land that’s been steeped in war history and legend, from the time of the Romans to Operation Overlord near the end of World War II.

The backdrop to our medieval love story is the Norman invasion of England, which was led by William the Conqueror and was supported by many of his vassals in Normandy. These vassals were undoubtedly lords, who held land in one of the most common forms of government in the French middle ages: the manorial system. A lord would have had many peasant serfs, who depended on the lord for land and protection but also had to pay their rent in crops and labour. And then, of course, there is the oft disputed “law of first night”, whereby a lord had the right to take the virginity of any of his serfs’ daughters. In French, it is known as the droit du seigneur or the droit de jambage or cuissage, which is translated as the right of the lord or the right of the leg or thigh. Though there is no concrete proof of the exercise of this right, it is not hard to believe that it existed in some form as the rights of women during that time were very few indeed. This short story explores the possibility that a relationship born of such undesirable conditions could evolve into something deeper and more passionate. After all, wouldn’t it be nice to believe that there were individuals—both lord and peasant—who were able to break free from the limits of their social station?