Secret Marriages:
Edward IV, Eleanor & Elizabeth
By J.P. Reedman
Eleanor Talbot, newly widowed after the Battle
of Blore Heath, meets Edward, Earl of March.
It is a time of trials when the Lancastrians and Yorkists fight for supremacy...and the throne of England.
The Talbots are staunch Lancastrians; Edward is the Son of York.
The Battles of Mortimer's Cross and the bloodbath of Towton lead to Edward taking the crown.
A secret marriage is hatched between the young King and Eleanor, but the “secret queen” is never announced to the Council.
King Edward’s womanising reaches new heights as, within a short time, his eye falls on another widowed beauty, Elizabeth Woodville, whom he also marries in a private, hidden ceremony.
Mortified by all that has happened, Eleanor seeks atonement in religion,...but will her past catch her up?
Will the secret remain secret?
A story of love and lust spanning two families, the Talbots and the Woodvilles, and two women both similar and yet very different. One who became Queen of England, and one who might have been.
Excerpt
The burst of light faded as the figure
took a tentative step in her direction and closed the door. Now she saw that
the intruder was her chaplain, Father Gray. His face was white, his hands
knotted in his cassock. “Lady Eleanor?”
“Father Gray, what is it?” A
needle of fear was darting in her breast, making her breaths shallow and
ragged. Yet she must not be foolish and allow herself panic. It could be
anything. A fire, a flood, a lost child in the village…
“A man has come to the gate…”
“Did you let him in? Who is
he?”
“He has ridden from a place
called Blore Heath…”
“I do not know it.” Frowning,
she shook her head.
Father Gray took a deep
breath. “A battle was fought there two days ago, my Lady. The man, a servant of
Lord Sudeley, has ridden like the wind. With news.” He stared down at the
tiles, hands working nervously.
“What is this news?”
Eleanor’s voice emerged a harsh whisper. The blood beat in her head, a steady
drum.
“The Earl of Salisbury won a
great victory over Lord Audley. Audley is dead. Lord Dudley is captured. Many
knights were slain, others gravely injured…”
“And Thomas, what of Thomas.
Is he injured?” Eleanor grasped at any hope.
Father Gray’s mouth worked
but no words would emerge. He shook his head ever so slightly and crossed
himself with a shaking hand.
Eleanor whirled away from the
priest, grief and shock overwhelming her. She fell in a faint before the altar,
with the bright angels weighing souls upon the Scales of Justice rising above
her, the golden beams shooting through their locks colouring the pallor of her
stricken face.
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J.P. Reedman
Born on the West Coast
of Canada, J.P. Reedman now lived in the shadow of Stonehenge. A writers
since the age of 5, when she wrote her first story about Cleopatra, she now
write historical fiction and historical fantasy, with a little bit of general
fantasy thrown into the mix. Favourite periods are medieval England,
particularly the Wars of the Roses era, and prehistoric Britain. J.P.
also writes about figures associated with her hometown of Amesbury, such as
Queen Eleanor of Provence and Eleanor of Brittany, both of whom were buried
there (and are now lost!) A novella about a third royal lady, Mary Plantagenet,
(The Princess Nun) is due out later in the Spring, and looking further ahead,
Avous Me Lie, the prequel to the popular I, Richard Plantagenet series which
tells the life story of Richard III from his first person perspective.
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