When I moved to Herefordshire, I discovered that I lived fairly close to Raglan Castle. As I can never resist anything like that, I went to have a look and became captivated by the sad tale of how a once magnificent castle became what it is today - a beautiful ruin. It inspired me to write The Velvet Cloak of Moonlight which I hope gives an accurate account of the castle's final days before it was destroyed forever.

It all happened at the end of the English Civil War, in 1646. At that time, Raglan was owned by the Marquis of Worcester, a staunch Royalist who had supported King Charles I throughout the war, both by giving him lots of money but also by sending troops. The Marquis was an elderly gentleman, nearly 70, but still formidable and very stubborn. As most of the Royalist forces and strongholds had surrendered to the Parliamentarians by the beginning of the summer, he must have known he was fighting a losing battle, but he still decided to make a last stand.