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The Noble Assassin
Christie Dickason
A thrilling account of one of English history’s most daring women, who risked everything in the dark days leading up to the Civil War. The perfect novel for fans of Suzannah Dunn and Phillipa Gregory.Court beauty, Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford, feels frustrated by life with her weak husband. Poverty stricken, they are confined to their country estate and excluded from court life in London after he disastrously allies himself against Elizabeth I.Now, some years later, James I is seated on the English throne. His daughter, Elizabeth Stuart, former confidant of Lucy, has married the King of Bohemia. The precarious political situation in Europe is fraught, setting father against daughter. When Elizabeth and her husband are deposed, exiled and forced on the run, James is in no mood to come to his daughter’s aid.Hearing of Elizabeth’s predicament, Lucy sees an opportunity to re-establish the Bedford name and offers herself as a peace envoy between the two parties. Setting out on a daring mission across the channel, Lucy discovers she is being manipulated by unscrupulous men, not least the calculating and darkly handsome Duke of Buckingham.Can Lucy tread this most dangerous path, or by risking everything, will she pay the ultimate price?
The Noble Assassin
CHRISTIE DICKASON
Dedication (#ulink_e68cc782-0ff5-5177-8e11-39efc35d80bd)
For John
Contents
Cover (#ud08e1437-6848-54c7-86e3-f9d0225cdd64)
Title Page (#u86ec626f-7aee-51b0-9ec3-a09d28ef204e)
Dedication
Part One
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Part Two
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Epilogue
The People In THE NOBLE ASSASSIN
Author’s Notes
By the same author
Some Helpful Books
The Noble Assassin – TIME LINE
About the Author
Copyright
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Thank you to:
John Faulkner, my personal Google
Stephen Wyatt, my creative SOS, as always
Olena Kostovska
Lindsay Smith
Stephen Siddall
Tom French for IT support and rescue
Emma Faulkner, for the title
Orly, for listening, among much else
Leonardo, Giuseppe and Rosa Giannini for
my office away from home
Sarah Ritherdon and Victoria Hughes-Williams at
HarperCollins
My agents, Robert Kirby and Charlotte Knee
Jon M. Moore, Chief Executive, Moor Park Golf Club
The Museum of Richmond, Richmond Surrey
The Richmond Reference Library
Jeremy Preston and the staff of East Sheen Library
for invaluable support in research, readings, and
readership involvement
(And, welcome to Matilda, who arrived in this world
just before I hit ‘SEND’.)
Part One (#ulink_e5c13bd6-8ce8-5d76-af2d-489dec14b617)
Chapter 1 (#ulink_25f4fb37-780e-581d-927c-81eb76778043)
LUCY – MOOR PARK, HERTFORDSHIRE, NOVEMBER 1620
