Jean Plaidy (41 page)

In fact he said, “You look a little better, Anne.”

I smiled and he smiled at me; and together we went into the hall.

There was the usual ceremonious greeting for the king and queen. Richard took my hand and led me to the table on the dais.

And then I saw her. I was startled and then deeply shocked. Elizabeth of York was wearing a dress that was an exact replica of my own.

We gazed at each other; she seemed as astonished and embarrassed as I was.

I gave her my hand and she kissed it. Then she raised her eyes to mine.

I said, “You are wearing my dress and I yours.”

“Your Grace…I do not know how it happened. I had no idea. May I say how well it becomes your Grace?”

I said, “It becomes you, too, my lady Elizabeth.”

Then I moved away. In my present state of mind the demons were back to torment me.

It was deliberate. Someone had planned this. It was a cruel joke. There are two queens, it implied. The one who is on the way out and the one who is about to enter.

Later I said to Richard, “Did you notice the dress Elizabeth was wearing?”

He looked blank. “What of her dress?”

“It was exactly the same as mine.”

He did not seem to think it was of any great moment. But how did I know what was going on his mind?

         

After that Christmas my health declined further. The winter was a hard time for me. My cough persisted. Richard was showing signs of strain.

Nothing was going right. There was the continual threat of invasion. People remembered the last reign with regret. There were evil rumors in the air. Someone had pinned a paper on the walls of St. Paul's with the inscription:

         

The Rat, the Cat, and Lovell our dog

Rule all England under a hog.

         

It was a reference to Catesby, Ratcliffe, and Francis Lovell—Lovell being a name much used for dogs; those three were Richard's closest advisers. The Hog was, of course, Richard himself, his emblem being the sign of the Boar.

It was not merely a couplet; it was an expression of the people's growing dissatisfaction and dislike.

Soon it was being sung in the streets. I was sighing more than ever for the old days of Middleham. There had been little happiness for either of us since Richard had taken the crown. How I wished the Bishop of Bath and Wells had never made his revelation. How I wished that the young Edward the Fifth were king of the realm.

There was a continual watch for ships about the coasts, for now an invasion seemed inevitable. On the continent, Henry Tudor was preparing to take from Richard that which had brought him not a vestige of happiness.

There was a burning need for an heir. I would have given Richard everything I had. How ironical that I could not give him what he wanted most.

I was living too long. If I were not here, I reminded myself, he could marry again. He could beget a son and then there would be new hope in the country.

I was taking too long to die. There was a new rumor now. There was nothing too evil they would not say against Richard.

I knew it, by the glances at my food, much of which I took in my chamber, feeling too weak to eat in public. I could see that was in the minds of my women. Snatches of a sentence spoken in a sibilant whisper would reach my ears.

The king was tired of his sick, infertile wife. She was a burden to him, and he could not afford to carry burdens. His own safety was too precariously balanced. He was having her food laced with poison, the quicker to remove her.

         

It was three months since that Christmas when Elizabeth of York had appeared in a dress exactly like the one I was wearing, showing how different we were—dressed alike, to make the contrast more remarkable. She so sparkling, nubile, gleaming with health beside this poor sad creature, thin, pale, and ailing.

Someone had prophesied my death and the people in the streets were saying I was already dead.

I discovered this when one of the serving women came upon me suddenly and almost swooned. She cried out, “I have seen the ghost of the queen! Poor lady, she has come back to haunt us. Small wonder…”

It was disconcerting. I felt I had been buried before I was dead. Killed…by the poison administered at my husband's command!

I sat in my chair, my hair unbound, a loose robe about me, shocked and bewildered.

Richard found me thus.

I said to him, “Why am I so weak? Do you know why, Richard? What have I done to deserve death?”

He took my face in his hands and kissed me. “Why do you talk thus?” he asked. “Anne…my Anne…you deserve to live and you shall.”

I shook my head. “No,” I said. “My time is near. I feel it close. I am sorry I have been so weak.”

“Do not talk so, dear Anne,” he said. “You have been so dear to me. You have brought me such comfort in all my adversities. Remember how you pitied me when we were at Middleham? I was so tired…and you kept my secret.”

“That is long ago, Richard.”

“Be of good cheer, Anne. You have no cause to be other.”

For a moment I believed him and I was ashamed that, even for a short while, I had allowed myself to harbor thoughts against him.

But in the night those doubts came back. He was so kind, so gentle with me. Then why did I have those dark thoughts? Why did I let myself doubt him? He could never marry his niece. He wanted me to stay with him, to comfort him, as I always had.

         

It was March and with March comes the promise of spring. But I shall not see that spring.

They say it is an eclipse of the sun. It is significant. Darkness descends on the earth but the earth will be bright again. But there will be no brightness for me. There is darkness all about me. There is so much I shall never see, so much I shall never know.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ashdown, Dulcie M.,
Princess of Wales

Aubrey, William Hickman Smith,
National & Domestic History of England

Bagley, J.J.,
Margaret of Anjou

Clive, Mary,
This Sun of York, Biography of Edward IV

Costain, Thomas,
The Last Plantagenets: Pageant of England 1337–1485

Gairdner, James,
History of Richard III

Halstead, Caroline,
Richard III as Duke of Gloucester and King of England

Jacobs, E.F.,
The Fifteenth Century 1399–1485

Kendall, Paul Murray,
Richard III

Kendall, Paul Murray,
Warwick, the Kingmaker

Lamb, V.B.,
The Betrayal of Richard III

MacGibbon, David,
Elizabeth Woodville

Oman, Charles,
Warwick the Kingmaker

Ramsay, J.H.,
Lancaster and York

Ross, Charles,
Edward IV

Rowse, A.L.,
Bosworth Field and the Wars of the Roses

Scofield, Coral L.,
The Life and Reign of Edward IV

Stephen, Sir Leslie & Lee, Sir Sydney,
The Dictionary of National Biography

Stratford, Laurence,
Edward IV

Strickland, Agnes,
The Lives of the Queens of England

Wade, John,
British History

Williams, C.H.,
The Yorkist Kings

READER'S GROUP GUIDE

This guide is designed to help you direct your reading group's discussion of
The Reluctant Queen.

1.

As a reader, what do you enjoy about historical novels like
The Reluctant Queen
? Does knowledge of history enhance your enjoyment of the story or detract from it?

2.

Richard is perhaps most famous as the jealous hunchback who would be king in Shakespeare's tragedy
Richard III
. Jean Plaidy depicts Richard as a loyal, loving subject of his brother the king. What impressions of Richard did you bring to your reading of this book?

3.

At the beginning of
The Reluctant Queen
, Anne is on her deathbed thinking back over the course of her short life, realizing it was never really her own to live. Who or what truly controlled Anne's destiny? On Mésalliance, Anne says that in wealthy, powerful families like her own, where sons are heirs, even girls have their uses. What are they? How does Anne's family use her and her sister, Isabel, to advance?

4.

Anne's father, the Earl of Warwick, is obsessed with power. He will do almost anything—including commit treason—to gain more. How does his attitude affect his daughters? His wife?

5.

King Edward's marriage to the beautiful Elizabeth Woodville is the catalyst for the events that bring about the earl's defeat. What steps does the earl take to seek revenge against the man he put on the throne? Why is he unsuccessful in his attempts to turn the people against Edward?

6.

How does the discord between the king and her father affect Anne and Richard? What does Anne think of her father's actions?

7.

As part of his plans to wrest power from Edward, the earl arranges for Anne's sister, Isabel, to marry the king's brother George, Duke of Clarence, who wants the throne for himself. What was your first impression of George? Is he a good match for the ambitious but innocent Isabel?

8.

As the rift between her husband and the king teeters on the edge of civil war, Anne's mother shares her worries about the future with her younger daughter. What could a war between these powerful men mean for her and her daughters? Although she can't control her husband's actions, she will be held accountable along with him if he fails. Why? Is that fair?

9.

The women of Warwick pay a high price for the earl's lust for power. What happens to each of them? Do you think the earl ever considers them in his plans? The king offers peace and forgiveness to Warwick several times only to be rebuffed. Why? What does this say about Edward? About Warwick?

10.

Anne is betrothed to the Lancastrian Prince Edward as a means of sealing a bargain between her father and the proud Margaret of Anjou. Arranged marriages for women of her status were common at the time, but Anne reacts badly to the news. Why? Imagine having your marriage arranged in such a manner. What does this practice imply about women?

11.

When Anne is engaged to Edward, her mother-in-law-to-be is the formidable Margaret of Anjou. How did the events of her life shape the woman she is when Anne meets her? What was your first impression of her? How did your impression of her change as the book progressed?

12.

How does Anne's relationship with Margaret of Anjou evolve over time? Is she ultimately a woman to be pitied or admired?

13.

As Warwick fights King Edward to put Margaret's son on the throne, Anne considers her loyalties. Does her father deserve her loyalty? Anne feels she loses no matter how her father fares in the war. Why? What happens to her if he wins? What happens to her if he loses?

14.

After the loss at the Battle of Tewkesbury, Anne doesn't know what will become of her, but it seems likely she will go from being the Princess of Wales to a prisoner in the Tower of London in one day. Do you think King Edward deals fairly with her? With her mother? With Margaret of Anjou?

15.

Isabel seems perfectly willing to believe whatever her husband tells her—even when he insists that her mother stay in sanctuary for her own protection long after it is deemed necessary for her to do so. Is she a likable character? How does she ignore her husband's faults?

16.

When Anne and Richard are reunited upon her return to England, she learns that Richard has fathered two children by a mistress. How does she react? Is her reaction reasonable or naïve considering the standards of the times?

17.

The Duke of Clarence is determined to block Anne's marriage to his brother Richard. Why? What does he have to gain? Why won't the king choose sides between his loyal brother Richard and the treacherous duke?

18.

After being deceived and drugged, Anne wakes to find herself a prisoner in a cook shop in London. Although she demands to be let go, the shopkeepers and staff insist that she is a delusional maid called Nan and won't let her leave. How does Anne remain sure of her true identity? What does she do to escape? How is the lecherous shopkeeper, Tom, the key to her rescue?

19.

Once they are finally married, do Anne and Richard have a happy life together? Is marriage to Richard all she hoped it would be?

20.

Richard asks Anne if he can bring his illegitimate children to be raised at Middleham, after their mother's passing. What do you think of this request? Of her reaction? Is allowing these children into her home really a sign of unselfish love for her husband as her own mother suggests? Is Anne ultimately happy with her decision on this matter?

21.

After the birth of her fourth child, Isabel dies. How does the news affect Anne? Both Anne and her sister were fragile women, but rumors sprout up that Isabel was poisoned. Do you think she was? If so, who is a likely culprit?

22.

How does the sudden death of King Edward change Anne's life? Richard's?

23.

Eventually, Richard discovers a secret in his brother's past that challenges the legitimacy of Edward's eldest son's claim to the throne. What do you think of his actions after his discovery? What does Anne think of the change in her husband?

24.

After little Edward's death, Anne is plagued by feelings of inadequacy about herself. Her only son was sickly and Richard has no heir. Do you think Richard blames her for this? Is the young Elizabeth York a real or imagined rival for Richard's affections?

25.

Which of the powerful men in Anne's life ultimately had the greatest effect on her fate? Considering everything that happened to her, do you think Anne felt content with her life at the time of her death?