A few things before you start reading the book that will change your life! (not really, but I like to think of Ordained By God as that book.)
1. Yes, the title may sound religious but it's not about God and there won't be any speeches telling you to convert. It may actually do the opposite.
2. It's for a mature audience. No, there are not detailed sex scenes in every chapter but there are enough mentions of sex, abuse and other subjects of that matter that this is not for an immature reader. But it's your call. But I did warn you.
3. SOME CHAPTERS ARE GOING TO BE REALLY SHORT. Yes, I know they should be longer but that's not how I want to format my book. Also, I jump around A LOT so this helps organise the sections to make it easier for the readers.
I really appreciate you reading and I hope you enjoy!
OCTOBER 1079
Clement was not a handsome man. He had no extraordinary facial features like a sturdy jaw or alert eyes. His shoulders were lean and his body was tall and gangly. He possessed no miraculous faculties to conduct a sword or ride a horse. His hands were durable from the hides.
He was not a learned man who spoke French with his widowed mother at home and then English at work. He did not have imported commodities from the Flemish merchants lying around his house nor did he take voyages abroad. He would never be a knight like her brother, Eustace or an Earl like her father, Ivan.
He didn’t get caught up in the typical talk of other men his age that only spoke of finishing their apprenticeship and what woman they would marry. He did not care for mendacious stories told by boys about sexual happenings. Never had he tried to woo her with eccentric tales or odd tactics.
But he was an intelligent thinker and that’s what Eleanor liked about him.
He thought about death and the afterlife. Did Heaven really exist and was there a God? Were the fires of Hell really eternal? Where was the line drawn between celestial bliss and hellish doom? He wanted to know why God needed people to pray to him. Was God a selfish being whose power came from hearing words of devotion? Wasn’t it enough to know that people believed in you, loved you and feared you?
He thought about what made a devout monk into a prior and a prior into a bishop. Why were some monks inaudible and absent from society while others were a principal aspect to a town’s income? What made them pick that lifestyle?
Often spending long hours thinking about matters such as those, he was not a man who spoke his feelings. He could often be cold and aloof but that was just his way of thinking.
Eleanor pushed open the tannery and slipped inside, careful to act like the activity in the room was quiescent. It was midday and every member of the guild was off at midday meal but she still drew precautionary actions. She coughed, a signal.
Clement stepped up from behind a workbench. He smacked his hands against his trousers to remove some slight particles of oil. Walking briskly and wasting no time, he pulled Eleanor’s body close to his and kissed her on the mouth. He pushed her head against the wall.
“Let’s go to the shed,” Eleanor said between kisses. Ignoring her words with a deeper kiss, Clement shook his head. “People will see,” she persisted. The fingertips of her dainty hands brushed against his soft adolescent beard
“There are holes in the wall, people could still see there.” Clement stared at her dainty face with a look of infatuation. His mouth hung open slightly and Eleanor could tell he was breathing heavily. He cupped her breast in his hand with great tenderness and she let out a sigh. “Why should it matter? We are not living in sin and even if we were, why should that be a problem? If God is all knowing, he will know we live pure and loyal lives.” He kissed her neck.
“I do dislike when you speak against the church. You resent it so.”
“I don’t resent the church, I resent the rules. And I resent that because I am a tanner’s apprentice and you are the daughter of an Earl, our union would never be blessed or accepted.” He smiled sweetly and gazed at her pretty face. But seeing her obstinate expression, he took her small hand in his large one and dragged her to the shed in the back of the tannery.
They were meticulous in their hushed paces against the taut straw. With the door latched, they started kissing again. Their actions were brisk and inexperienced both being no more than twenty and newly suffering frisky feelings towards the other. Growing up in Winshire together meant they spent enough time together to be familiar with names and maybe play kissing games but nothing more. It was not in the social norm for a Lady of Eleanor’s ranking to be associated with a man as low as Clement.
YOU ARE READING
Ordained by God
Historical Fiction(DON'T BE PUT OFF BY THE TITLE IT'S NOT A RELIGIOUS BOOK) During the reign of William the Conqueror, women were subordinate to men in all social situations and love was not a reason a Lady to wed. Lady Eleanor of Winshire has falled in love with Cle...
