About the Book
News of Thomas à Becket’s martyrdom has spread throughout Christendom and the blame is laid at the feet of Henry Plantagenet, King of England. Two years later, with Becket canonised, Henry’s position is precarious: punished at the Pope’s insistence for his part in Becket’s death, he now also has an enemy in his Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, after her discovery of his longstanding infidelity with Rosamund Clifford. Eleanor is determined to seek vengeance, so, with King Philip of France, she encourages her sons to conspire, both against their father and each other.
Much embattled, the old eagle Henry struggles to fend off both rebellion and the plots of his aggressively circling offspring …
‘Miss Plaidy does full justice to the trials of Henry II’s last years. The demands of the vast Angevin Empire provide strong dramatic material which she handles with her usual skill.’ Sunday Times
‘It is hard to better Jean Plaidy when she is in form … both elegant and exciting as she steers a stylish path through the feuding Plantagenets.’ Daily Mirror
This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
Version 1.0
Epub ISBN 9781407011059
www.randomhouse.co.uk
Published by Arrow Books in 2007
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Copyright © Jean Plaidy, 1977
Initial lettering copyright © Stephen Raw, 2006
The Estate of Eleanor Hibbert has asserted its right to have Jean Plaidy identified as the author of this work.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 9780099493273
Cover
About the Book
Title
Copyright
About the Author
Praise for Jean Plaidy
Available in Arrow Books by Jean Plaidy
I News of Murder
II Princess Alice
III The King and Queen
IV Castles for John
V The King’s Penance
VI The Rebellious Cubs
VII The King’s Choice
VIII The Queen comes to Court
IX The Young King
X The King’s Strategy
XI The Lady of Godstow
XII The Court of France
XIII Berengaria
XIV The Devil’s Strain
XV The Painting on the Wall
XVI The Curse of Heraclius
XVII The Fatal Joust
XVIII Philip and Richard
XIX The Death of the Eagle
Bibliography
Jean Plaidy, one of the pre-eminent authors of historical fiction for most of the twentieth century, is the pen name of the prolific English author Eleanor Hibbert, also known as Victoria Holt. Jean Plaidy’s novels had sold more than 14 million copies worldwide by the time of her death in 1993.
For further information about our Jean Plaidy reissues and mailing list, please visit
www.randomhouse.co.uk/minisites/jeanplaidy
Praise for Jean Plaidy
‘A vivd impression of life at the Tudor Court’
Daily Telegraph
‘One of the country’s most widely read novelists’
Sunday Times
‘Outstanding’ Vanity Fair
‘Full-blooded, dramatic, exciting’
Observer
‘Jean Plaidy conveys the texture of various patches of the past with such rich complexity’ Guardian
‘Plaidy has brought the past to life’ Times Literary Supplement
‘One of our best historical novelists’ News Chronicle
‘An excellent story’ Irish Press
‘Spirited … Plaidy paints the truth as she sees it’
Birmingham Post
‘Sketched vividly and sympathetically … rewarding’
Scotsman
‘Among the foremost of current historical novelists’
Birmingham Mail
‘An accomplished novelist’ Glasgow Evening News
‘There can be no doubt of the author’s gift for storytelling’
Illustrated London News
‘Jean Plaidy has once again brought characters and background vividly to life’ Everywoman
‘Well up to standard … fascinating’
Manchester Evening News
‘Exciting and intelligent’ Truth Magazine
‘No frills and plenty of excitement’ Yorkshire Post
‘Meticulous attention to historical detail’ South Wales Argus
‘Colourful … imaginative and exciting’
Northern Daily Telegraph
‘Effective and readable’ Sphere
‘A vivid picture of the crude and vigorous London of those days’ Laurence Meynell
Available in Arrow Books by Jean Plaidy
The Tudors
Uneasy Lies the Head
Katharine, the Virgin
Widow
The Shadow of the
Pomegranate
The King’s Secret Matter
Murder Most Royal
St Thomas’s Eve
The Sixth Wife
The Thistle and the Rose
Mary Queen of France
Lord Robert
Royal Road to Fotheringay
The Captive Queen of Scots
The Medici Trilogy
Madame Serpent
The Italian Woman
Queen Jezebel
The Plantagenets
The Plantagenet Prelude
The Revolt of the Eaglets
The Heart of the Lion
The Prince of Darkness
The French Revolution
Louis the Well-Beloved
The Road to Compiègne