At the Mercy of the Queen
A Novel of Anne Boleyn
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4.3 • 33 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A sweeping tale of sexual seduction and intrigue at the court of Henry VIII, At the Mercy of the Queen is a rich and dramatic debut historical about Madge Shelton, cousin and lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn.
At the innocent age of fifteen, Lady Margaret Shelton arrives at the court of Henry VIII and quickly becomes the confidante of her cousin, Queen Anne Boleyn. But she soon finds herself drawn into the perilous web of Anne's ambition.
Desperate to hold onto the king's waning affection, Anne schemes to have him take her guileless young cousin as mistress, ensuring her husband's new paramour will owe her loyalty to the queen. But Margaret has fallen deeply in love with a handsome young courtier. She is faced with a terrible dilemma: give herself to the king and betray the love of her life or refuse to become his mistress and jeopardize the life of the her cousin, Queen Anne.
"A stunningly engrossing and fast read; historical fiction readers will snatch it up and shout, ‘Thank you!'"—Library Journal (starred review)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Margaret Shelton, cousin of the newly minted queen of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, is sent to court to serve Anne and add to her family's ever growing influence with the mercurial monarch. Once there, Margaret meets Arthur Brandon, the bastard son of the duke of Suffolk, and despite getting off on the wrong foot initially, they fall in love and secretly marry. Meanwhile, Anne is having some serious problems she promised Henry a son, but instead delivered daughter Elizabeth and has had two miscarriages. Henry's performance problems means he is avoiding Anne's bed, destroying any chance she has of having the son who would secure her position. When Jane Seymour catches Henry's wandering eye, Anne hatches a worthy Tudor plan in which Margaret becomes Henry's mistress: "if I can put one forth to the king who would be loyal to me, one who would speak kind words about me as they lay upon their pillows.... " Margaret complies but it complicates her relationship with Arthur; she can't marry him openly without the consent of the king who will never give it because Arthur is socially beneath her. When Anne is railroaded as an adulteress and executed, Margaret and her family flee the court with Margaret pregnant by Arthur but in need of a legitimate husband to act as father. The reign of Henry VIII has been explored at length in historical fiction, with Anne Boleyn filling many roles. Here, Anne is a complex woman who just wants a happy marriage, and through Margaret's eyes readers develop a strong sympathy for the unfortunate queen. A fresh take on Henry's court that even readers exhausted of Tudor historicals will find new and exciting.
