My Lady of Cleves: A Novel of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves

349 Pages·2008·2.98 MB·English

by  Margaret Campbell Barnes

My Lady of Cleves_CVR:full cover 7/10/08 10:48 AM Page 1
“As good a novel about
Tudor England as we have
The Absorbing Story of Henry VIII’s Fourth Queen, had in a long time.”
Her Secret Love, Her Power-Hungry Husband, and — CHICAGOTRIBUNE
the Country That Ruled Them All
M
My Lady of Clevesreveals the mesmerizing story of Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII’s
fourth wife, one of the rare women who matched wits successfully with the
fiery king and lived to tell the tale.
Y
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
“At long last Anne of Cleves gets her day
A
as a noble and highminded heroine in the
L
N
lists of historical fiction!”
o
v
— CHICAGOTRIBUNE elA

o
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy f
D

Written by world-renowned historical novelist Margaret Campbell Barnes, My H
e
Lady of Clevesgives readers an intimate portrait of the warm, unpretentious nY
r
princess who never expected to become Queen of England. Knowing the king’s y

V
ravenous desire for a son, and aware of the disastrous consequences of not
bearing an heir, Anne of Cleves bravely took on the duty of weathering the IIIO

Tudor King’s temper, whims, arrogance, and irresponsible passions—and won a
n
the hearts of his subjects in the process. dF

A treat for readers of Tudor fiction and those fascinated by the complex A
n
r elationships of Henry VIII and his wives, My Lady of Cleves leads readers nC
into a world of high drama and courtly elegance. e My Lady
o
f
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy CL
“Turns a brilliant light on one of the l
e
lustiest and one of the most dramatic vE
e
periods of English history.” s
V
—PHILADELPHIAINQUIRER of Cleves
E
Includes bonus reading group guide. S
Margaret Campbell Barnes grew up in London. Her historical novels include
Brief Gaudy Hour,With All My Heart,Isabel the Fair,and King’s Fool. MARGARET
BCAAMRPNBEELSL /A Novel of Henry VIII
ISBN 13: 978-1-4022-1431-8
and Anne of Cleves
ISBN 10: 1-4022-1431-6
Fiction
$14.95 U.S./
N M C B
A $15.99 CAN ARGARET AMPBELL ARNES
www.sourcebooks.com E
Sourcebooks
Landmark Author of Brief Gaudy Hour
My_Lady_of_Cleves_Final_INT.qxd:Layout 1 7/10/08 5:26 PM Page i
PraiseforMyLadyofCleves
“Turns a brilliant light on one of the lustiest and one of the most
dramaticperiodsofEnglishhistory.”—PhiladelphiaInquirer
“AtlonglastAnneofClevesgetsherdayasanobleandhighminded
heroineinthelistsofhistoricalfiction!...Asgoodanovelabout
TudorEnglandaswehavehadinalongtime.”—ChicagoTribune
“Court intrigue, royal ceremonials, power politics, wily diplo-
macy, espionage, bear baiting, Morris dancing, jousting, and
lavish feasts by notables in the full feather of their Elizabethan
finery—these are the ingredients of My Lady of Cleves…
Although the pace of the novel is at times slowed down by the
grand tableaux, the rich brocade, and the courtly protocol, the
narrative manages to move at an exciting speed. Once Anne
stepsonEnglishsoilandthemaliciousplottingofLadyRochfort
gets under way, things happen and happen fast.” — Charles
Duffy,NYTimesBookReview
“Whatever be the truth about Anne, Miss Barnes has written an
absorbingnovel.ThesenseoftheElizabethanpageantishere,and
allthecontemporaryworthiesstrutintheirfineryandexuberance
acrossthestageofEngland’sgreatestepoch.Theirnumberislegion,
andagainstthebackgroundofwhichtheyareapart,AnneofCleves
appears,plausiblyandconvincingly.”—JohnCournos,NYSun
My_Lady_of_Cleves_Final_INT.qxd:Layout 1 7/10/08 5:26 PM Page ii
“. . . a cunning fusion of historical fact and humanizing fiction.
So skillful indeed is the welding that only a scholar can detect
where the documental leaves off and the fanciful begins.
Smoothness of narration, however, is but one of Miss Barnes’
literary virtues. She has a notable gift for blowing the dust off
antiqueandcolorfulsettings.Hercharacterizationsarevital.Her
dialogue, though at time anachronistic, is always assured and
frequentlywitty.”—CharlesLee,PhiladelphiaRecord
“Anoutstandingnewhistoricalnovel...”—Ladies’HomeJournal
“A gracious and very lively sketch of that not too lucky princess
whobecameHenrytheEighth’sfourthqueen...inMrs.Barnes’
skillfulhandsAnneherselfbecomesarealwomanwhowillmake
manyfriends.”—RalphStrauss,SundayTimes(ofLondon)
“ThereislittlefrustrationinMyLadyofClevesandagooddealof
Tudor candour. Mrs. Barnes paints a picture of Anne which is as
appealing as Holbein’s miniature, and if there were not trouble
enoughatHenry’scourtovermultilateralloveaffairs,explainsthe
miniaturebymakingHolbeinfallinlovewithAnne,thenjustifies
itbymakingAnnethesortofpersonapainterandaKinginpeni-
tent mood would love . . . This is a good story which grafts and
prunesandhybridizeshistoryandfictionwithagrandabandonto
the glory of the main object of an historical novel, which in the
endistoentertainwhilegivingapictureoftheperiod.Itseemsto
betheonlyway.”—ManchesterEveningNews
My_Lady_of_Cleves_Final_INT.qxd:Layout 1 7/10/08 5:26 PM Page iii
Also by Margaret Campbell Barnes
BriefGaudyHour
WithAllMyHeart
IsabeltheFair
King’sFool
TheKing’sBed
LadyontheCoin
WithintheHollowCrown
MaryofCarisbrooke
ThePassionateBrood
TheTudorRose
My_Lady_of_Cleves_Final_INT.qxd:Layout 1 7/10/08 5:26 PM Page iv
My_Lady_of_Cleves_Final_INT.qxd:Layout 1 7/10/08 5:26 PM Page v
My Lady of
Cleves
My_Lady_of_Cleves_Final_INT.qxd:Layout 1 7/10/08 5:26 PM Page vi
My_Lady_of_Cleves_Final_INT.qxd:Layout 1 7/10/08 5:26 PM Page vii
WivesandChildrenofKingHenryVIII ThomasElizabethEdmundJoyceBoleynHowardHowardCulpepper(BloodrelationtoThomasCulpepper)ArthurCatherineHenryTudorTudor of AragonKing Henry VIIIGeorge JaneAnne(d. 1502) (m. 1509)of EnglandBoleyn Boleyn Rochfort(div. 1533)(1491-1547) (m. 1533) (e. 1536)(d. 1536) (e. 1536) Mary Tudor Henry Tudor Queen Mary I Duke of Cornwall (d. 1558) (b. & d. 1511) Elizabeth Tudor Henry Tudor Queen Elizabeth I (b. & d. 1534) (d. 1603) Thomas Seymour Jane Seymour (m. 1536 (d. 1537) Edward Tudor King Edward VI (d. 1553) Anne of Cleves (m & div. 1540) Katherine Howard (d. 1557) (m 1540) (e. 1542) Katherine Parr (m. 1543) (d. 1548) “Every day seemed to unravel some unsuspected thread from which the lives of these tempestuous Tudors were woven.” MCB
My_Lady_of_Cleves_Final_INT.qxd:Layout 1 7/10/08 5:26 PM Page viii
My_Lady_of_Cleves_Final_INT.qxd:Layout 1 7/10/08 5:26 PM Page ix
My Lady of
Cleves
A Novel of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves
/
Margaret Campbell Barnes