The Viking Hostage — Tracey Warr

Set in late 10th century France and Wales, The Viking Hostage weaves together the stories of three women living through a time of turbulent power struggles across Europe, Viking raids, and fears of The End of Time. Sigrid is a Pagan and a Norwegian who is captured and held hostage before being sold into slavery in the French Limousin. Aina is heiress to the French fortress of Segur, who longs for a life of travel and adventure as she attempts to resist the unwelcome pressures of arranged marriage. And Adalmode, daughter of the Viscount of Limoges, whose hand in marriage is also the subject of power struggles between the noble families, endures a hopeless love affair with a man who is her father's prisoner. Their friendship and stories tangle with questions of nobility, freedom and courage to create their own deception, to escape the often brutal society of early medieval Europe.