Mistress of Mourning

Read Mistress of Mourning Online

Authors: Karen Harper

PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS

OF KAREN HARPER

Mistress of Mourning

“The grief of a sister and mother who also happens to be queen of England combines with the fire and spirit of a lovely waxworker in Karen Harper’s riveting tale of just what might have happened to the princes in the tower and to the first Tudor crown prince.”

—Karleen Koen,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Through a Glass Darkly
and
Before Versailles

“Beloved author Karen Harper brings Elizabeth of York to vivid life in
Mistress of Mourning.
Through the eyes of charming and adventurous wax chandler Varina Westcott, the tumultuous era of the newborn Tudor dynasty is depicted as it surely was—a time rife with danger, passion, and murder. The exciting story and its appealing heroine kept me reading late into the night with sheer enjoyment.”

—Sandra Worth, author of
Pale Rose of England
and
The King’s Daughter

“Much like her endearing chandler heroine, Varina, Karen Harper warmly illuminates a little-explored craft and two persistent royal mysteries, skillfully melding the hearts and lives of the high- and lowborn.
Mistress of Mourning
delivers adventure, romance, and surprise; a fresh cache of treasure for devoted Tudorphiles, the book is also certain to enchant readers new to the era’s charms.”

—Sandra Byrd, author of
To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn

The Queen’s Governess

Selected as a “Recommended Read”

by the
Los Angeles Times

“Harper’s diligent research, realistic portrayal, and insider-outsider heroine will hook those who can’t get enough of England’s turbulent history. Still, bestseller Harper maintains her focus on the roles of women—both powerful and powerless—in Tudor England, resulting in another enjoyable protofeminist historical romp.”


Publishers Weekly

“A lively and historically grounded reimagining of two Tudor survivors.”


Kirkus Reviews

“Well-paced and full of pitch-perfect detail…as good as the best of Philippa Gregory…sure to be a big hit with historical fiction fans and book clubs.”


Library Journal

“Ms. Harper, who has written extensively on the Elizabethan era, creates a world that is thoroughly engaging and fully believable. She knows her characters well and sketches the political intrigues of the Tudor court with a sure hand…a classic of Tudor-era historical fiction.”

—Writing the Renaissance

The Irish Princess

“Karen Harper writes with wit and elegance, offering her deep knowledge of Tudor and Irish history while madly entertaining us along the way.
The Irish Princess
is an amazing novel full of love and conflict, and it kept me up all night.”

—Luanne Rice, author of
The Silver Boat

“A writer named Harper should have the bardic touch, the storytelling gift. Karen Harper does. Told by a member of the flamboyant Fitzgerald family,
The Irish Princess
is an intricate web of politics and passion. From the first page, the reader is immersed in the dangerous atmosphere of Tudor England—as seen through Irish eyes. We are invited to feel history. What more can a bard do?”

—Morgan Llywelyn, author of
Lion of Ireland
,
The Irish Century
, and
Brendan

“A vivid and satisfying read.”

—Elizabeth Loupas, author of
The Flower Reader

“Vivid and suspenseful…[an] enormously entertaining story peopled with all the famous Tudors seen through Irish eyes. A great read.”

—Jeane Westin, author of
The Virgin’s Daughters
and
His Last Letter

Mistress Shakespeare

Chosen for the 2011 Choose to Read Ohio Program

“This intoxicating, fictionalized memoir of Shakespeare in love is a romantic roller coaster rich with vivid details reminiscent of
Romeo and Juliet
.”


Women’s Day

“The narrative abounds with genuine period details, witty dialogue, and intertwined references to Shakespeare’s works.…Anne and Will’s tale is engagingly told.”


The Historical Novels Review

“A fun romp through Elizabethan England with Shakespeare’s mysterious muse.”

—Lauren Willig, author of
The Orchid Affair

“So vivid and authentic—a totally satisfying re-creation of one of the great Shakespeare mysteries. I couldn’t put it down!”

—Rosalind Miles, author of the Guenevere Trilogy

“Karen Harper has written a riveting tale of intrigue and passion that plunges the reader straight into the complex heart of Elizabethan England. Rich with detail and drama,
Mistress Shakespeare
is a story Shakespearean fans will love.”

—Deanna Raybourn, author of
The Dead Travel Fast

“Karen Harper returns to the world of Elizabethan England in one of the most exquisite novels I have read in a very long time. Considered merely a footnote in Shakespeare’s life, Anne Whateley now takes her place at center stage in a story which will have readers wishing there were many more acts to come. Do yourself a favor and don’t miss this book.”

—Michelle Moran, author of
Cleopatra’s Daughter

“Harper…knows her period well, and it shows…in sure handling of the details of politics, theater, and daily life.…Anne is an appealing and spirited heroine, and her tale will be enjoyed by historical fiction fans.”


Booklist

“The novel’s chief pleasures derive from the easy intersection of Shakespeare’s work, the history of Elizabethan England, and the life that the author imagines Shakespeare might have had.…The Bard’s language infuses the story with life.”


Publishers Weekly

ALSO BY KAREN HARPER

The Queen’s Governess

The Irish Princess

Mistress Shakespeare

The First Princess of Wales

The Last Boleyn

THE QUEEN ELIZABETH I MYSTERY SERIES

The Hooded Hawke

The Fatal Fashione

The Fyre Mirror

The Queene’s Christmas

The Thorne Maze

The Queene’s Cure

The Twylight Tower

The Tidal Poole

The Poyson Garden

Mistress
of Mourning

K
AREN
H
ARPER

New American Library

Published by New American Library,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,

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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:

80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

First published by New American Library,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

First Printing, July 2012

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Copyright © Karen Harper, 2012

Readers Guide copyright © Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:

Harper, Karen (Karen S.)

Mistress of mourning / Karen Harper.

p. cm.

ISBN: 978-1-101-58698-3

1. Great Britain—History—Henry VII, 1485–1509—Fiction. 2. Grief—Fiction.
3. Candlemaking—Fiction. 4. Conspiracies—England—History—16th century.
5. Elizabeth, Queen, consort of Henry VII, King of England, 1465–1503—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3558.A624792M56 2012

813’.54—dc23
2011053251

Set in Adobe Caslon • Designed by Elke Sigal

Printed in the United States of America

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

ALWAYS LEARNING

PEARSON

For Don—

Thanks for your companionship on all the trips

to England and for putting up with the

endless manor houses, castles, and museums.

IMPORTANT EVENTS BEFORE THE STORY BEGINS

August 1483
Disappearance of the princes from the Tower, Edward V, and his younger brother, Richard of York.
August 22, 1485
Battle of Bosworth Field. Henry Tudor defeats King Richard III after lengthy civil war. Viscount Francis Lovell flees the battlefield and goes to sanctuary at St. John’s Abbey in Colchester. His lands are confiscated.
October 20, 1485
Coronation of Henry VII
Jan. 18, 1486
King Henry weds Elizabeth of York
Sept. 19, 1486
Birth of Prince Arthur
1486
Lord Lovell, age thirty-two, escapes from Colchester Abbey and leads revolt against Henry VII. Defeated, Lovell escapes to Europe.
1487
Lovell travels to Ireland to meet with others hoping to topple King Henry with Lambert Simnel plot.
June 16, 1487
Lovell is defeated in Battle of Stoke and disappears.
Nov. 29, 1489
Princess Margaret Tudor born
June 28, 1491
Prince Henry Tudor born (later King Henry VIII)
1492
Princess Elizabeth Tudor born
1495
Death of Princess Elizabeth
March, 1496
Princess Mary Tudor born
Feb. 2, 1499
Prince Edmund Tudor born
June 19, 1500
Death of Prince Edmund Tudor

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