Anne O'Brien - A Tapestry of Treason

‘O’Brien cleverly intertwines the personal and political in this enjoyable, gripping tale’

The Times

‘[A] fast-paced historical novel’

Good Housekeeping

‘Anne O’Brien has unearthed a gem of a subject’

Daily Telegraph

‘A gripping story of love, heartache and political intrigue’

Woman & Home

‘There are historical novels and then there are the works of Anne O’Brien – and this is another hit’

The Sun

‘The characters are larger than life…and the author a compulsive storyteller’

Sunday Express

‘This book has everything – royalty, scandal, fascinating historical politics’

Cosmopolitan

‘A gripping historical drama’

Bella

‘Historical fiction at its best’

Candis

ANNE O’BRIENwas born in the West Riding of Yorkshire. After gaining a BA Honours degree at Manchester University and a Master’s at Hull, she lived in the East Riding for many years as a teacher of history. After leaving teaching, Anne decided to turn to novel writing and give voice to the women in history who fascinated her the most. Today Anne lives in an eighteenth-century cottage in Herefordshire, an area full of inspiration for her work.

Visit Anne online at www.anneobrienbooks.com.

Find Anne on Facebook and follow her on Twitter: @anne_obrien

VIRGIN WIDOW

DEVIL’S CONSORT

THE KING’S CONCUBINE

THE FORBIDDEN QUEEN

THE SCANDALOUS DUCHESS

THE KING’S SISTER

THE QUEEN’S CHOICE

THE SHADOW QUEEN

QUEEN OF THE NORTH

A Tapestry of Treason

Anne O’Brien

ONE PLACE. MANY STORIES

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2019

Copyright © Anne O’Brien 2019

Anne O’Brien 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.

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.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable 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.

Ebook Edition © August 2019 ISBN: 978-0-008-22548-3

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Page numbers taken from the following print edition: ISBN 9780008225476

With all my love, as always, to George, who immersed

himself in this tale of medieval politics and high drama.

A born Lancastrian, after reading of the

devious exploits of the House of York, he remains

a dyed-in-the-wool supporter of the red rose.

The Royal Court in 1399

King Richard II.

Queen Isabelle de Valois, Richard’s second wife.

The House of York

Edmund of Langley, Duke of York.

Isabella, Princess of Castile, now deceased, mother of the three York children:

- Edward of Norwich, Earl of Rutland, Duke of Aumale, later Duke of York.

- Constance of York, Lady Despenser, Countess of Gloucester.

- Richard (Dickon) of Conisbrough, later Earl of Cambridge.

The Despensers

Thomas, Lord Depsenser, Earl of Gloucester, husband of Constance, father of their 3 children:

- Richard.

- Elizabeth.

- Isabella.

Henry Despenser, Bishop of Norwich, in silent sympathy with the York and Despenser conspirators.

House of Lancaster

King Henry IV, son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.

Joanna of Navarre, Duchess of Brittany, second wife of King Henry.

The six royal children:

- Henry (Hal), Prince of Wales.

- Thomas.

- John.

- Humphrey.

- Blanche.

- Philippa.

John Beaufort, Earl of Somerset, half-brother to King Henry.

Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester, half-brother to King Henry.

The Holland Family

John Holland, Earl of Huntington, Duke of Exeter.

Thomas Holland, 3rd Earl of Kent, John Holland’s nephew.

Joan, Duchess of York, second wife of Edmund of Langley, sister of Thomas and Edmund Holland.

Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent, lover of Constance of York.

Madonna Lucia Visconti, an Italian lady with a large dowry, Countess of Kent, wife of Edmund Holland.

Alianore, daughter of Edmund Holland and Constance of York.

The Mortimers

Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, a child in captivity in Windsor Castle.

Roger Mortimer, his younger brother, also in Windsor Castle.

The Percys

Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, a man of authority, ambition and conflicting loyalties.

Sir Henry Percy (Hotpsur), Northumberland’s son and heir.

Those to be found in aristocratic households

Friar John Depyng: King Richard II’s soothsayer.

Ralph Ramsey, one of King Henry IV’s esquires, rewarded for his loyalty.

William Flaxman, another Court minion in receipt of the King’s generosity

Richard Milton, agent of Constance in the Windsor plot.

A locksmith who paid for his conspiracy with his life.

Richard Maudeleyn, a clerk, who played the role of Richard II.

William Maidstone, Constance’s chivalric champion.

Sir John Pelham, a staunch supporter and counsellor of King Henry IV.

And in Wales

Owain Glyn Dwr, stirring rebellion in the west and claiming the title of Prince of Wales.

Cover

Praise

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Dedication

Cast of Characters

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen