It had rained almost all the way from London, and the state of the roads had added at least two days to the miserable journey.
She had, after all, been specially charged to look after her new mistress, the pale, thin girl, stony-eyed with misery, who now stood, still in her damp riding clothes, staring out at the lashing rain.
So Emma Arnett, a practical woman, was lighting the fire. Fifteen years and almost as many small promotions lay between her and such a lowly task: but the room, the whole house except for the kitchen, was as cold and damp as the grave, and what was left of the household was in that state of disorganization possible only to one caught unawares in the moment of relaxation following a visit from its master who has just departed and unlikely to return for some time. Every movement, every line of her body, proclaimed that she was making a concession to unusual circumstance. The serving woman went and knelt by the hearth and busied herself with the kindling of the fire. Mistress Anne Boleyn was greatly offended with this, saying that if ever it lay in her power she would work the Cardinal as much displeasure as he had done her. It was devised that the Lord Percy should marry one of the Earl of Shrewsbury's daughters - as he did afterwards. "synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title. Loyalties, to church, to queen, to country, are tested, and - in the wake of the king's volatile passions - can be an unpredictable matter of life and death.įirst published in 1963 and adored by readers for generations, Lofts' lush and moving portrayal of the ambitious and doomed Anne Boleyn will continue to reign as a classic retelling of this epic chapter of history vividly brought to life. The consequences of Anne's rise to power and eventual demise are felt well beyond the inner circle of the court.
Anne's ascent to the throne elevates her from lady-in-waiting to the highest position a woman could attain, but her life spirals out of control when Henry is driven to desperate acts of betrayal and violence. Against common sense and the urgings of his most trusted advisors, Henry defied all, blindly following his passion for Anne, using the power he held over the bodies and souls of all who reside in his realm and beyond. "All eyes and hair," a courtier had said disparagingly of her, but when King Henry VIII fell for young Anne, nothing could keep him from what he desired. The king first noticed Anne Boleyn as a heartbroken sixteen-year-old, sullen and beautiful after a thwarted romance with the son of the Earl of Northumberland. Acclaimed and beloved historical novelist Norah Lofts brings to life the danger, romance, and intrigue of the Tudor court that forever altered the course of English history.
0 kommentar(er)
