As King Henry VII’s visit stirs fear and whispers of rebellion, secrets buried at Suffolk Hall threaten to unravel the Tudor throne and all who stand in its shadow. Before the rise of Shakespeare, royal theaters hid court secrets. A young Henry VIII begins to wrestle with his father’s legacy. Meanwhile, Sir William de la Pole faces a devastating downfall. A story of performance, power, and a queen-in-waiting.
My Kick-Ass Back Cover Description:
A king approaches. A traitor’s shadow lingers. And Suffolk Hall hides more than anyone dares to imagine.
One year ago, Edmund de la Pole, the traitorous Duke of Suffolk and Yorkist heir, vanished into exile, slipping through the fingers of King Henry VII and leaving chaos in his wake. His mistress disappeared with him, and not even her closest friend, Edda, a gifted seamstress, has heard a whisper of her fate.
Now, Edda works in uneasy silence at Suffolk Hall, stitching intricate loops into a costly new gown for Lady Keelyn, wife of Sir William de la Pole, the duke’s younger brother. But tension crackles in the air, for word has arrived: King Henry VII is coming. No one knows why, but the town fears the worst… an arrest, a reckoning, perhaps even an execution. Edda and her father, the local woodcarver, brace for what seems inevitable. Not even the gift of a finely carved throne may sway the king or his feared enforcer, Sir Thomas Lovell, known for rooting out treason with brutal efficiency. As whispers of rebellion stir and loyalty is tested, Prince Henry, the future Henry VIII, observes and learns from his father’s iron rule.
Into this tense atmosphere arrives a struggling troupe of actors, hoping to gain royal favor before winter dooms them to poverty. Their playwright, Tristan, suspects the court hides more danger than opportunity—but knows failure could cost them their lives. When the king’s visit is marked by a shipwreck, a mysterious figure haunting the cemetery, and an attempted assassination, it becomes clear: Suffolk Hall is no ordinary estate. It holds secrets that could threaten the Tudor throne.
Rich in intrigue, suspense, and historical detail, this gripping installment in The Tudor Throne series will captivate fans of Philippa Gregory, Hilary Mantel, and richly woven historical suspense in the rising storm of Henry VIII’s England.
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The Story Behind the Story
I love all of my books, but this is one of my favorites, because it takes place on the coast, in a castle on a cliff, in the house of a potential traitor. It’s such a romantic setting, it inspired a shipwreck amid a storm! My young hero, Tristan, goes dashing into the pounding surf to save sailors from drowning, and thousands of pounds’ worth of expensive fabric washes up on shore for my seamstress, Edda, to salvage from the saltwater.
The “problem of the de la Poles” is the backdrop of my story, as I explore the threat that hangs over their heads. Edmund de la Pole, who has a claim to the English throne, fled to the Netherlands, leaving his brother William in England. Now that Arthur is dead and Henry suspects the de la Poles were involved, he tests their loyalty with a royal visit, hauling along his impetuous and excitable young son, Prince Harry. I loved delving into their familial dynamic, since they were so opposite in personality. My beloved and misunderstood (I am biased; get over it!) Henry VII is stoic, deeply rational, and calculating; his son is flamboyant, enthusiastic, and a risk-taker, compared to his father’s caution.
With them comes Sir Thomas Lovell, whose job it is to protect them from an assassination attempt brewing in their midst, and to lock up any traitors to the throne… and he gets more than enough to do, as he unravels the tapestry of mystery around Suffolk Hall.
There is just so much I love about this story. Secret passages and conspiracies, tragic romance, and the fun of showing a traveling theater troupe at the height of their popularity. Theater troupes did not settle in one place until Shakespeare’s time, when they built The Globe Theatre, which meant they ran around the country performing passion plays (for religious purposes) and pro-Tudor productions. It made sense to me that Henry would employ one to promote his claim to the throne.
