Welcome
Document Actions
A beguiling historical tale set in fourteenth century Wales, NECTAR FROM A STONE, the debut novel by Jane Guill, tells the story of a young widow on a journey to salvation and a soldier’s quest for revenge.
NECTAR FROM A STONE begins in Wales in 1351, just after the Plague has wiped out more than a third of Europe’s population, at a time when the Medieval Church quietly endorses the notion that women bear most of the guilt for Original Sin (and sin in general). Elise, the only survivor of a plague-ravaged family, is betrothed over her parents’ deathbed to Maelgwyn, a Welsh nobleman. Noble in name but not by nature, Maelgwyn is afraid that Elise, who is prone to unpredictable visions, will somehow see into his past and discover his terrible secret.
Two years into the marriage, unable to bear his violence and misogyny any longer, Elise stabs him in self-defense, and with the help of her servant, Annora, dumps his body in the river. The women embark on a perilous journey to Conwy, a distant Welsh town, to find work and earn enough money to return to their old home and to tranquillity.
The fugitives soon encounter lepers and lunatics and narrowly escape murder at the hands of a genteel but maniacal English lord. They cross paths with Gwydion, an enigmatic Welshman seeking to avenge his murdered family and reclaim his overtaken estate. The paths of these strangers intersect again in a bloody confrontation that leaves Gwydion injured and Elise—proficient at the old ways of healing—tending to his wounds. Despite themselves, they fall in love. Afraid to reveal her history, Elise parts from him and goes on toward Conwy. Just as it seems her life can’t get any darker, a shadow from her past creeps toward her and cannot be outrun. If she is truly a corrupt and sinful woman, as Maelgwyn always told her, what final price will she have to pay?
