The Spare Son

Teviotdale, 1136.

Cuthbert Armstrong was never meant to inherit anything.

The third son of a minor border lord, Cuddy’s world has always been small: chasing strayed livestock through alder woods, drinking weak ale beside the hearth, and avoiding the burdens carried by stronger men. But when a deadly flux sweeps through Uddenset, it leaves his father and brothers dead within days — and places the fate of the Armstrong holding upon the shoulders of the least likely son.

Now lord of a crumbling hall burdened by debt, Cuddy must navigate a brutal world of cattle raids, shifting loyalties, Norman power, and ancient border feuds. With winter closing in and sixty cattle owed to the ruthless Baron Robert de Umfraville by Martinmas, failure could cost his family everything.

Worse still, dangerous men have begun to circle.

The ambitious Gillespie Elliot covets Armstrong land and seeks to bind the family through marriage to Cuddy’s young sister, Alice. Raiders test the borders. Old alliances fracture. And every choice Cuddy makes threatens to drag his people deeper into violence.

Haunted by guilt, unprepared for leadership, and hunted by enemies far more experienced than himself, Cuddy must learn what kind of lord he will become — before Teviotdale destroys him.

Rich in historical detail and steeped in the harsh beauty of the medieval Borderlands, The Spare Son is an atmospheric tale of survival, loyalty, kinship, and the making of an unlikely leader. Perfect for readers of gritty historical fiction in the tradition of Bernard Cornwell, Matthew Harffy, and Kristian Cameron.