Anne O'Brien - The Shadow Queen - The Sunday Times bestselling book – a must read for Summer 2018

Praise for Anne O’Brien Contents Cover Praise Also by Anne O’Brien Title Page Copyright Dedication Prologue 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 Extract Acknowledgements What inspired me to write about Joan of Kent? In the steps of Joan of Kent And Afterwards: Epitaph of Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales About the Publisher

‘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

Also byANNE O’BRIEN Contents Cover Praise Also by Anne O’Brien Title Page Copyright Dedication Prologue 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 Extract Acknowledgements What inspired me to write about Joan of Kent? In the steps of Joan of Kent And Afterwards: Epitaph of Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales About the Publisher

THE SHADOW QUEEN

THE QUEEN’S CHOICE

THE KING’S SISTER

THE SCANDALOUS DUCHESS

THE FORBIDDEN QUEEN

THE KING’S CONCUBINE

DEVIL’S CONSORT

VIRGIN WIDOW

Copyright Copyright Dedication Prologue 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 Extract Acknowledgements What inspired me to write about Joan of Kent? In the steps of Joan of Kent And Afterwards: Epitaph of Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales About the Publisher

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2017

Copyright © Anne O’Brien 2017

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, 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.

Ebook Edition © May 2017 ISBN: 9781474050739

Version: 2018-03-15

For George, as ever, my love and my thanks for his cheerful tolerance of all things medieval. His appreciation of Joan of Kent’s wayward lifestyle was often more balanced than mine. The Fair Maid owes him a debt of gratitude too.

‘…the most beautiful lady in the whole realm of England, and by far the most amorous.’

Jean Froissart

‘…concerning whose birth (Richard II) many unsavoury things were commonly said (of her), namely that he was not born to a father of the royal line, but of a mother given to slippery ways – to say nothing of many other things I have heard.’

The Chronicle of Adam Usk 1377-1421

‘The gentle prince married… a lady of great renown, who kindled love in him, in that she was beauteous, charming and discreet.’

Chandos Herald

‘Prudence teaches the princess or great lady how above all things in this base world she ought to love honour and good reputation.’

Christine de Pisan

Contents

Cover

Praise Praise for Anne O’Brien Contents Cover Praise Also by Anne O’Brien Title Page Copyright Dedication Prologue 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 Extract Acknowledgements What inspired me to write about Joan of Kent? In the steps of Joan of Kent And Afterwards: Epitaph of Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales About the Publisher ‘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

Also by Anne O’Brien Also byANNE O’BRIEN Contents Cover Praise Also by Anne O’Brien Title Page Copyright Dedication Prologue 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 Extract Acknowledgements What inspired me to write about Joan of Kent? In the steps of Joan of Kent And Afterwards: Epitaph of Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales About the Publisher THE SHADOW QUEEN THE QUEEN’S CHOICE THE KING’S SISTER THE SCANDALOUS DUCHESS THE FORBIDDEN QUEEN THE KING’S CONCUBINE DEVIL’S CONSORT VIRGIN WIDOW

Title Page

Copyright Copyright Copyright Dedication Prologue 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 Extract Acknowledgements What inspired me to write about Joan of Kent? In the steps of Joan of Kent And Afterwards: Epitaph of Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales About the Publisher An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2017 Copyright © Anne O’Brien 2017 Anne O’Brien asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.