The Queen's Rival

Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Haeger’s characters, even her minor ones, have a certain depth that’s often lacking in novels that trod this well-traveled ground, and she handles the love affair between Katherine and Thomas Culpeper skillfully and sympathetically.”

—
Historical Novels Review

 

“Fans will enjoy Diane Haeger’s take on sixteenth-century aristocratic permissiveness.”

—Genre Go Round Reviews

 

“Fans of tales of royalty will find Haeger’s novel both historically accurate and sympathetically written.”

—Fresh Fiction

 

“Haeger delivers complexities of court and duty plausibly and with aplomb.”

—
Publishers Weekly

 

“Haeger masterfully brings the past alive in her latest historical novel. A tale of thwarted desire and sacrifice, it is rich in court intrigue and lavishly detailed descriptions of court life during the early years of Henry VIII’s reign. Both fans of Haeger and readers new to her novels will relish her insightful story about the one woman Henry truly loved: his sister.”

—
Booklist

 

“An enjoyable, well-written book about one of history’s true love stories.”

—Romance Reviews Today

 

 

“In Haeger’s impressive Restoration romance, King Charles II and his mistress. . . leap off the page. . . . Charles and Nell are marvelously complex—jealous and petty, devoted yet fallible. Haeger perfectly balances the history with the trystery.”

—
Publishers Weekly

 

“Engagingly deep romantic historical fiction.”

—
Midwest Book Review

 

“Romantic. . . filled with intrigue and danger.”

—
The Indianapolis Star

 

“Set against the vivid descriptive detail of Rome and Trastevere, Haeger’s tale of how the ring came to be obscured in the Raphael masterpiece resonates with the grandeur and intimacy of epic love stories. . . . This romance is first to be savored as the wonderful historical tale that it is.”

—
BookPage

 

“Lush. . . [a] rich yet fast-paced story.”

—
Historical Novels Review

 

“Spectacular. . . . Haeger explores the fascinating, rich, exciting, and tragic life of Henry II’s beloved. . . . Lush in characterization and rich in historical detail,
Courtesan
will sweep readers up into its pages and carry them away.”

—
Romantic Times

 

“With her wealth of detail cleverly interwoven into a fabulous plot, Diane Haeger has written a triumphant tale that will provide much delight to fans of historical fiction and Regency romance.”

—
Affaire de Coeur

NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY NOVELS

BY DIANE HAEGER

 

NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY

Published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA ♦ Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) ♦ Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England ♦ Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) ♦ Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) ♦ Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India ♦ Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) ♦ Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

 

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

First published by New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

First Printing, March 2011

Copyright © Diane Haeger, 2011 Readers Guide copyright © Penguin Group (USA), Inc., 2011 All rights reserved

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:

 

Haeger, Diane. The queen’s rival: in the court of Henry VIII/Diane Haeger.

p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-101-47890-5

1. Blount, Elizabeth, ca. 1502-1539—Fiction. 2. Catharine, of Aragon, Queen, consort of Henry VIII, King of England, 1485—1536—Fiction. 3. Henry VIII, King of England, 1491—1547—Fiction. 4. Great Britain—Kings and rulers—Paramours—Fiction.

5. Mistresses—Great Britain—Fiction. 6. Ladies-in-waiting—Great Britain—Fiction. 7. Great Britain—History—Henry VIII, 1509—1547—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3558.A32125Q46 2011

813’.54—dc22 2010039719

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

 

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

 

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

 

I
tell you, it is her!”

“That such a strumpet would have the courage to return . . . It is scandalous!”

It had been years since Bess had been at court, and even longer since she had walked this vast carpet-lined gallery leading to the king’s privy apartments. But it was not so long that she had forgotten how it felt to be whispered about loudly enough so she could hear. Neither the king’s second cousin Lady Hastings, nor Lady Margaret Bryan—aging noble magpies in rich velvet, strings of pearls, and red and gold brocade—had changed at all.

Determined, she held her head high and ignored them. Time and years, more than two decades, slipped away. In those days she had simply been Bess Blount. But she was no longer that pretty, young, innocent girl; yet neither was he, the man she had come to see, the dashing young ruler he once was. But he was here, and he needed her.

As she made her way forward, the tall carved doors before her were parted by two stiff Yeomen of the Guard in green and white livery and silver breastplates. Each bore a tall, flashing gilt halberd. A line of elegantly clad servants and curious courtiers on the other side bowed deeply or dipped into formal curtsies as she advanced. Like waves, one after another, they acknowledged her as the venerable Lady Elizabeth Clinton, whose reputation well preceded her. Then they backed away in a kaleidoscope of movement—rich Tudor green, white, blue, red, and yellow velvet; brocade; and pearls combined with glittering gold. The tunnel of light, sounds, and fragrances drew her back in time even more deeply. There was no place on earth that smelled quite like the court of Henry VIII: rich, musky, complex—very like the king, the man, and the legend himself. Ironic, Bess thought, that it was here in this very presence chamber that she had first seen him. Here, she had first touched his hand . . . and had first fallen in foolish, childish love when she was barely fourteen.