Word of the Day = Duplicity

I’m currently watching King & Conqueror on BBC iPlayer, with James Norton as King Harold II and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as William the Conqueror.

My excuse for this TV indulgence—despite being knee-deep in prep work ahead of releasing two new books next year—is simple: it’s research. Not into facts, but into mood. More on that in a moment.

In my new historical fiction series, The Aucourtes, the founding father of the family fought alongside William the Conqueror and was handsomely rewarded for his loyalty. He was granted a parcel of land near the sea, ten miles from Hastings (the site of the famous battle in 1066), and there the first Aucourte in Britain built Sea Castle, the family’s main home.

I must stress: there is no Sea Castle, no Norman man named Aucourte who fought heroically beside the Conqueror. It’s entirely fictional—mentioned briefly in Book One of the series, The Earl’s Daughter, and again in the backstory bonus A Boy Alone. I’m certain it will resurface in future books.

So why begin this with Word of the Day: Duplicity?

Because King & Conqueror is steeped in it. A stellar cast, several favourite actors of mine, and gripping enough for me to stream multiple episodes in a row. I started watching this eight-part series two days ago, and today I have just two episodes left—once I finish my work.

There’s some artistic licence taken with the history, but with a subject so far back in time and the need to craft compelling drama, I won’t hold the creators to account. It’s not a documentary. It’s a drama—driven by ambition, mistrust, and duplicity. All behaviours that are very much alive and kicking in our world today.