Joan of the Sword Hand — Key Ideas to Explore

The Opening Gambit: Laughter and Diplomacy

The first chapter, 'The Hall of the Guard,' immediately immerses the reader in a scene of masculine bravado. The laughter of men-at-arms contrasts with the formal embassy from Plassenburg. The ambassador, Leopold von Dessauer, is characterized as both learned and a great lord, hinting at the political weight he carries. The setting—Castle Kernsberg, part of the hill statelets called Masurenland—is sketched with a few details: the hall of audience above, the guard below. Crockett uses this vertical division to suggest layers of authority and secrecy. The reader is left to infer the stakes of the embassy, as the narrative withholds the ambassador's full purpose. This opening establishes a pattern of withheld information and layered dialogue that persists throughout the excerpts.

The Princess Margaret's Artful Persuasion

In a later excerpt, Princess Margaret demonstrates her skill at manipulation. She coaxes her brother, Prince Louis, into sending Father Clement to her, feigning a scruple about matrimony on behalf of the Lady Joan. Her language is layered with flattery and feigned embarrassment: 'There are things one can say easiest to an old man.' Prince Louis, described as 'not used to women's flatteries,' swells with self-importance. Margaret's true intent—to delay or redirect the marriage—is revealed only to the reader through her asides and her subsequent dance with the Sparhawk. This scene showcases Crockett's use of dramatic irony: the prince believes he is in control, while Margaret orchestrates events. Her whispered 'if I cannot be married to-day!' underscores her impatience and cunning.

The Sparhawk and the Dance of Defiance

After Prince Louis departs, Margaret's demeanor shifts from obedient sister to gleeful conspirator. She 'circled about the Sparhawk in a light-tripping dance,' declaring that they will 'dance at a wedding to-day.' The Sparhawk, initially confused, is drawn into her plan. Margaret's physicality—her 'impetuous career,' her command to 'put your arm about my waist—firmly—so!'—contrasts with the earlier formal dialogue. This scene reveals the novel's blend of romance and rebellion: Margaret uses the conventions of courtly dance to subvert her brother's authority. The Sparhawk's growled threat ('my sword will kiss his midriff') earlier in the excerpt reinforces the tension between violence and courtship. The reader sees that Margaret's apparent compliance is a mask for her own agenda.

The Summer Palace: A Setting of Secrecy

The Summer Palace, where much of the action in the excerpts takes place, is described through sensory details: the swirl of the Alla river fretting about its piles, the tramp of disciplined feet, the closing of doors. This setting becomes a stage for whispered plots and hidden alliances. The river's sound provides a natural counterpoint to human intrigue, while the palace's architecture—with its separate chambers and audience halls—enables private conversations. Crockett uses the setting to reinforce themes of confinement and escape: the palace is both a refuge and a prison for Margaret and Joan. The reader is invited to note how characters move through these spaces: Margaret listens 'with bated breath and finger on lip' before speaking freely, indicating the constant threat of surveillance.

As you read, pay attention to the interplay between public performance and private intention. Crockett often signals a character's true motives through physical gestures—a dance, a whispered aside, a hand on a sword. The novel's pace quickens in scenes of dialogue, where wit and wordplay carry as much weight as action. The excerpts suggest that the story rewards careful attention to who speaks, who listens, and who acts.

The rain drummed on the window while Joan’s stubborn heart tangled with Margaret’s schemes, their swordplay echoing in a make-believe land. That fierce, impractical devotion lingered oddly in my mind. Later, drifting, I stumbled upon a gentler kind of distance, a warm portrait of Cuba’s everyday life in Our Little Cuban Cousin — Reading Companion, and the quiet contrast felt like a different season altogether.