The Cold Hearth

Harald, second son of Cnute--the king of England and Denmark--takes up a holding in Mercia with his wife, Selia, away from life at court. While they face the many challenges of landholding, someone attempts to murder Harald's brother Sweyn in Nordvegr, vowing to kill all the sons of Cnute. Harald worries whether he has enough men to protect Selia, when an old friend from their journey to Rome, Ravya ben Naaman, arrives with a sworn enemy of Harald's, bound to his horse. Will the threat to their lives now end? Will Harald and Selia ever be truly safe?

The Cold Hearth is book #3 in The Atheling Chronicles series, following Harald Harefoot, a half-forgotten figure in eleventh century pre-conquest England.