NAL
June 2012
On Sale: June 5, 2012
Featuring: Edward III; Alice Perrers
464 pages ISBN: 0451236807 EAN: 9780451236807 Kindle: B0073XV6H8 Paperback / e-Book Add to Wish List
A child born in the plague year of 1348,
abandoned and raised within the oppressive walls of a
convent, Alice Perrers refused to take the veil,
convinced that a greater destiny awaited her. Ambitious
and quick witted, she rose above her obscure beginnings to
become the infamous mistress of Edward III. But
always, essentially, she was alone...
Early
in Alice’s life, a chance meeting with royalty changes
everything: kindly Queen Philippa, deeply in love with her
husband but gravely ill, chooses Alice as a
lady-in-waiting. Under the queen’s watchful eye, Alice
dares to speak her mind. She demands to be taken
seriously. She even flirts with the dynamic, much older
king. But she is torn when her vibrant spirit captures
his interest...and leads her to a betrayal she never intended.
In Edward’s private chambers, Alice discovers the pleasures
and paradoxes of her position. She is the queen’s
confidante, the king’s lover, yet she can rely only on
herself. It is a divided role she was destined to play,
and she vows to play it until the bitter end. Even as
she is swept up in Edward’s lavish and magnificent court,
amassing wealth and influence for herself, becoming an enemy
of his power-hungry son John of Gaunt, and a sparring
partner to the resourceful diplomat William de
Windsor, she anticipates the day when the political winds
will turn against her. For when her detractors voice
their hatred, and accusations of treason swirl around
her,threatening to destroy everything she has
achieved, who will stand by Alice then?