The Dungeon (by same author as Indian in Cupboard)

[Tyrannitar]

Has anybody read 'The Dungeon' by Lynne Reid Banks? (I think that's her name anyway; it's the same author as the Indian in the Cupboard series) If not, you should read it. It doesn't take long to read and it was a rather emotional, touching story, set in most probably the Early/High Middle Ages. It's about the lord of a manor in Scotland ordering to have a mighty castle with an ominous dungeon to be built, and while it is under construction he ventures off to China in search of riches and treasures such as silk. Whilst there, he purchases a slave girl from a tea house and then brings her back to Scotland, where his castle, after about 3 years, has been completed. Back in his home land, he proceeds to have a bloody battle with another lord of a manor that terrorized him earlier on in his life and ends up changing his life, his slave girl's life, and many other lives.

So yes. I ended it like that because then I would be giving away spoilers! XD You can basically glean all of the above from the back of the book.