Rivals in the Tudor Court

Rivals in the Tudor Court
Darcey Bonnette

As Queen Catherine’s maid, and daughter of the Duke of Buckingham, the future seems bright for Elizabeth Stafford. But when her father gives her hand to Thomas Howard, third Duke of Norfolk, the spirited young woman must sacrifice all for duty. Yet Elizabeth is surprised by her passion for her powerful new husband. And when he takes on a mistress, she is determined to fight for her love and her honour…Naïve and vulnerable, Bess Holland is easily charmed by the Duke of Norfolk, doing his bidding in exchange for gifts and adoration. For years, she and Elizabeth compete for his affections. But they are mere spectators to an obsession neither can rival: Norfolk’s quest to weave the Howard name into the royal bloodline.The women’s loyalties are tested as his schemes unfold – among them the litigious marriage of his niece Anne Boleyn to King Henry VIII. But in an age of ruthless beheadings, no self-serving motive goes unpunished – and Elizabeth and Bess will have to fight a force more sinister than the executioner’s axe…This riveting drama sweeps eight decades and six monarchs. It’s the story of lost innocence, of passion that knows no bounds, and of a man battling an enemy even more formidable than the bloodthirsty Henry VIII: himself.

Rivals in the Tudor Court

Darcey Bonnette

Copyright

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

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First published by Kensington Publishing, New York, 2011

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RIVALS IN THE TUDOR COURT. Copyright © D.L. Bogdan 2011. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

D.L. Bogdan asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

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Source ISBN: 9781847562586

Ebook Edition © OCTOBER 2011 ISBN: 9781847563026

Version: 2018-07-25

Dedication

For my sailor

Contents

Cover (#u7591eef8-c327-5751-91c1-d377cba24b8d)

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Book One

Thomas

The Tower of London

Armor

Two Bonny Lads

A New Allegiance

Family Man

The Passing of a Crown

Book Two

Elizabeth

Kenninghall

A Little Maid

Of Princes …

… and Pirates

Change Winds

The Fruits of War

A Countess’s Life

The Isle of Erin

Traitors and Lovers

The Duke of Norfolk

Book Three

Bess

Mendham, Suffolk

A Real Live Duke