Visit the twisted worlds within the court of Henry VIII. But be careful for danger lurks in the shadows and things are not always as the appear.
From the moment William Somers, Henry VIII's crippled fool, first set foot in the palace, his heart belonged to a beautiful kitchen maid and his loyalty to a great king. But fools are destined to witness history, not make it, and so William must watch and jest as King Henry pushes aside a loyal wife for a woman capable of bringing the kingdom to its knees. But when William's dearest friend Mable is forced to bend to an unequally cruel fate in the forgotten depths of the kitchens will he find the strength to defend her?
Excerpt
The door was slightly ajar and when I looked in I saw that the woman inside was not pale and sickly but highly irritated, her cheeks full of color. Blood pulsed through her veins coloring her skin dark crimson with anger. The lady was not alone, in the room with her was her brother, George, who stood uncomfortably as Anne paced by him back and forth like a caged beast.
"You know there is no pre-contract!' she screamed. "He has decided that he will make every woman in the Boleyn household his personal whore. He expects us to run to him like bitches in heat when he calls!"
"Anne." George tried to calm her. "You are a smart woman; if the King wants you perhaps you should look at this as an opportunity. Perhaps you can get something, coins or a title, before his hunger for you subsides."
"Don't you mean, dear brother, I could get what title and riches you and our dear loving father can squeeze from my flesh?"
"Anne." He tried to put his hands gently on her shoulders but she shoved them away. Her voice was loud and shrill, rising with the venom and anger she wanted to pour out on the King and Wolsey.
"Tell me, what does a woman get when the King's eyes fall upon her? You don't answer so I will tell you: she gets the reputation of a whore, and the other women call her traitor behind her back for keeping the bed of the Queen's spoiled inconsiderate husband warm. And when he tires of her, she is shipped off to live in obscurity with whatever oaf he decided to pawn her off on. But you are right someone does win in all this."
"Anne please stop."
"The men win. The fathers, brothers, even the uncles' gain titles and lands, and the King gains a sport he will soon tire of."
Anne's brother was a gently natured man who, unlike his sister, rarely let his anger control him, but having his intentions questioned by the person he held most dear was too much even for the soft spoken George. He grabbed Anne's arm and swung her around to face him.
"Anne, you know I care more for you than any title or any riches! I care more for you than I can or will care for any other, I would give my life for you!"
She lowered her voice and speaking less harshly, asked with tears threatening to crack her voice, "You ask me to use this to my advantage. Where is our sister Mary? She was once the Boleyn girl he coveted. Now where is she?" George dropped her hands and looked at the floor, avoiding the dark stare of his sister who he knew spoke the truth.
"I will tell you in case you have forgotten as it seems the King has; she is exiled from court, sent to live in a cold and horrible manor with a dull husband and a bastard child that might well be the King's very own son."
"You are not Mary. You are intelligent Anne, and clever enough to gain from the King's affections where Mary lost from the same. She was never able to think like you."
Professional Reviews
Fall of the House of Queens
.0 out of 5 stars Six Unhappy Marriages
The story of Henry VIII and his sixill-fated wives is one that has fascinated me since I first read about it quiteearly in childhood. I consider it a piece of uncommon good-luck that I cameacross this book through Kindle Scout. Being as difficult a reader for mosthistorical fiction to satisfy as I am, I find it quite remarkable that this should be the best example of that genre that I have read in a very long time.Perhaps ever.
Far too many works of historical fiction seem to me to be nothing more thansuperficial romances set in historical periods that the writer doesn't reallyknow much about, but where costumes are attractive and some kinds of'adventures' are easier to conceive. Of course, it would be very difficult towrite such a book about Henry the Eighth, and this author certainly didn't tryto. She may take a few liberties with historical facts, but the reader has thesense that she does so with full awareness and no intention of violating herown very convincing interpretations of the characters or the course of trueevents.
The story of the Court is told in the words of William Somers, the court'fool'. He was the son of a poor mother and a father who abandoned the familybecause the mother refused to smother the child who was born 'deformed'. Pickedup starving from London's streets by compassionate members of the Court'skitchen staff, he grew up in the kitchen and eventually became the entertainer,friend and confidant of many of the figures who surrounded the king and of theking himself. His position as a close observer of personalities and politics,without actually participating in any of the jockeying for power, makes him anideal voice to deliver the story. I can think of only two books in which thefirst person narrator was so well chosen. They are Wuthering Heights and Daphnede Maurier's Rebecca.
I also very much appreciated the writing style. The author makes no attempt toactually simulate the English of the time. She doesn't throw in contemporaryslang or other words which break the attention to the narrative, but thelanguage reads just 'old fashioned' enough to enhance the sense of actualparticipation in the scene. Some modern readers who seem to be addicted to whatthey call 'fast action' may find the setting up of the situation too 'slow' fortheir taste, but for me this author achieved that rare literary miracle ofpresenting a drama in which the reader seems to 'fall through the page' andfeel himself/herself an observer, alongside Will Somers, of real people and high drama.
-Cherokee Randolph on April 1, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition|VerifiedPurchase
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