England, 1443 and a young Henry VI is on the throne. He is not battle
hardened like his father. He wants a truce with France. His spymaster,
Derry Brewer proposes Margaret of Anjou, but it will mean giving up
Anjou and Maine. William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk is unsure about
the plan because it means giving up so much.
Both Henry and Margaret are related to King Charles of France, and for
their marriage to go ahead, there will have to be a dispensation from
the pope. For security reasons, Henry doesn't attend the wedding in
Tours. Suffolk serves as his proxy. Richard, Duke of York is outraged
at this treachery. Could the truce be broken if the English in Maine
and Anjou refuse to move peacefully?
It is quite some time before Margaret arrives in England and marries
Henry properly. Much to the chagrin of Derry, Margaret wants to be
involved in the reading of the documents that Henry has been signing.
Meantime the English in Maine have decided to fight the French army
that has already forced the English out of Anjou despite the truce.
Angered at the broken truce, Charles advances his French army into
Normandy. York has been sent to Ireland, so the defence of Normandy
rests in the hands of Suffolk. Suffolk doesn't have sufficient
numbers of troops to defend Normandy because Henry needs troops to keep
the peace at home.
With rebels on the outskirts of London, Margaret agrees that the ailing
King should be sent to his castle at Kenilworth, however, she plans to
stay and face the rebels. Although she survives the rebels, will she,
her sick husband and unborn child, and England survive the machinations
of Richard of York?
Once again, author Conn Iggulden has written a brilliant historical
novel. It is well researched and presented. As a fan of historical
novels, I found the book hard to put down. I'm looking forward to the
sequel.
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