Carolyn Meyer - Mary, Bloody Mary

Collins

an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in the USA by Harcourt Brace & Company 1999

First published in Great Britain by Collins 2003

Text © Carolyn Meyer 1999

The author 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

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, down-loaded, 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.

Find out more about HarperCollins and the environment at www.harpercollins.co.uk/green

Source ISBN: 9780007150298

Ebook Edition ©SEPTEMBER 2010 ISBN: 9780007381722

Version: 2015-08-18

For Marcia H. Henderson

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

The Tudors

Prologue

CHAPTER ONE King Francis

CHAPTER TWO Betrothals

CHAPTER THREE Tudor Colours

CHAPTER FOUR Falconry

CHAPTER FIVE Lessons

CHAPTER SIX Lady Anne

CHAPTER SEVEN Sickness and Dread

CHAPTER EIGHT A visit from the King

CHAPTER NINE Enter Chapuys, Exit Wolsey

CHAPTER TEN Lady Susan

CHAPTER ELEVEN Reginald Pole

CHAPTER TWELVE Queen Anne

CHAPTER THIRTEEN A Royal Birth

CHAPTER FOURTEEN Elizabeth

CHAPTER FIFTEEN The Princess’s Servant

CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Double Oath

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Rumours

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN A Question of Poison

CHAPTER NINETEEN The Madness of the King

CHAPTER TWENTY The Executions

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE The new Enemy

Historical Note

Keep Reading Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

Also by the Author

About The Publisher

A nne was a witch; I never doubted it. She deserved to die; neither have I doubted that. She wished for my death long before the executioner’s sword glittered above her own neck: month upon month I lived in terror of poison being slipped into my cup. Yet, an hour before the blade bit into her flesh, they say she prayed for my forgiveness. Had the jailers brought me her message, would I have forgiven her?

No. Never.

She beguiled my father and seduced him. She transformed him into a man so unlike his former self that even after she had lost her diabolical hold on him, my father was never again the king he had once been. Because of this evil witch who called herself queen, I lost everything: my rightful place in the circle of my family, my mother’s loving presence, my father’s devoted affection, my chances of a fruitful marriage. And I came close — very close — to losing my own life.

Because of Anne, my father discarded my mother like a worn slipper, forbidding me ever to see her again. Because of Anne, he declared me a bastard, humiliating me for his own selfish ends. And after years of using me as a pawn in his endless quest for power, promising me to this suitor and one, my father abandoned me.

I can forgive her nothing.

You who are quick to judge me, I beg you, hear my story.