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The Scandalous Duchess
Anne O'Brien
A Sunday Times BestsellerEngland’s Forgotten Queens‘O’Brien cleverly intertwines the personal and political in this enjoyable, gripping tale.’-The TimesWidow Lady Katherine Swynford presents herself for a role in the household of merciless royal prince John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, hoping to end her destitution. But the Duke’s scandalous proposition leaves her life of pious integrity reeling…Seduced by the glare of royal adoration, Katherine becomes John’s mistress. She will leave behind everything she has stood for to play second fiddle to his young wife and ruthless ambition. She will live in the shadows of the most powerful man in England in the hope of a love greater than propriety.But soon the court whispers – whore, harlot, vile temptress – reach the ears of not just John’s bride but his most dangerous political enemies. As the Plantagenet prince is accused of bringing England to its knees, who better to blame than shameless she-devil Katherine Swynford?Dragged from the shadows, Katherine must answer for her sins.Praise for Anne O’Brien‘O’Brien cleverly intertwines the personal and political in this enjoyable, gripping tale.’- The Times‘A gem of a subject … O’Brien is a terrific storyteller’- Daily Telegraph‘Joanna of Navarre is the feisty heroine in Anne O’Brien’s fast-paced historical novel The Queen’s Choice.’-Good Housekeeping‘A gripping story of love, heartache and political intrigue.’-Woman & Home‘Packed with drama, danger, romance and history.’-Pam Norfolk, for the Press Association‘Better than Philippa Gregory’ – The Bookseller ‘Anne O’Brien has joined the exclusive club of excellent historical novelists.’ – Sunday Express ‘A gripping historical drama.’-Bella‘This book has everything – royalty, scandal, fascinating historical politics and ultimately, the shaping of the woman who founded the Tudors.’ – Cosmopolitan@anne_obrien
Praise for the author (#ulink_ada03b1a-cf0f-5af2-bd60-0edc75ee7ce3)
ANNE
O’BRIEN
‘An absolutely gripping tale that is both superbly written and meticulously researched’
—The Sun
‘The characters are larger than life…and the author a compulsive storyteller. A little fictional embroidery has been worked into history, but the bones of the book are true.’
—Sunday Express
‘This book has everything–royalty, scandal, fascinating historical politics and, ultimately, the shaping of the woman who founded the Tudors.’
—Cosmopolitan
‘O’Brien has excellent control over the historical material and a rich sense of characterisation, making for a fascinating and surprisingly female-focused look at one of the most turbulent periods of English history.’
—Publishers Weekly
‘Better than Philippa Gregory’
—The Bookseller
‘Another excellent read from the ever-reliable Anne O’Brien. Strong characters and a great setting make this highly recommended.’
—The Bookbag
‘Anne O’Brien is fast becoming one of Britain’s most popular and talented writers of medieval novels. ’
—Lancashire Evening Post
‘A must-read for any historical fiction fan’
—The Examiner
‘Brings the origins of the most famous royal dynasty to vibrant life’
—Candis
‘I was keen to see if this book…lived up to the hype— which it did.’
—Woman
Also by (#ulink_07c84d33-a3a6-51c9-a7a1-460eefcf48d5)
ANNE O’BRIEN (#ulink_07c84d33-a3a6-51c9-a7a1-460eefcf48d5)
THE SHADOW QUEEN (https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9781474050739/the-shadow-queen/)
THE QUEEN’S CHOICE (https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9781474032537/the-queens-choice/)
THE KING’S SISTER (https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9781474007481/the-kings-sister/)
THE SCANDALOUS DUCHESS (https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9781472010391/the-scandalous-duchess/)
THE FORBIDDEN QUEEN (https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9781472010230/the-forbidden-queen/)
THE KING’S CONCUBINE (https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9781408969816/the-kings-concubine/)
DEVIL’S CONSORT (https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9781408935835/devils-consort/)
VIRGIN WIDOW (https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9781408927953/virgin-widow/)
The Scandalous Duchess
Anne O’Brien
ISBN: 978-1-472-01039-1
THE SCANDALOUS DUCHESS
© 2014 Anne O’Brien
Published in Great Britain 2014
by HQ, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
Version: 2018-02-07
To George, who for a whole year tolerated having to play second fiddle to John of Lancaster, but knows that he always remains my hero.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (#ulink_fc7c5699-0105-507d-9593-72638031309c)
All my thanks to my agent, Jane Judd, whose love of history is as strong as my own. Her support and encouragement for me and the courageous women of the Middle Ages continues to be invaluable.
To Sally Williamson at HQ whose empathy with what I wish to say about my characters is beyond price. To her and to all the staff at HQ, without whose advice and professional commitment the real Katherine Swynford would never have emerged from the mists of the past.
To Helen Bowden and all at Orphans Press, without whom my website would not exist and who create professional masterpieces out of the rough drafts of genealogy and maps I push in their direction.
‘…he [John, Duke of Lancaster] was blinded by desire, fearing neither God nor shame amongst men.’
Knighton’s Chronicle 1337-1396
‘…a she-devil and enchantress…’
The Anonimalle Chronicle 1333-1381
‘…an unspeakable concubine…’
Thomas Walsingham’s Chronicon Angliae
Table of Contents
Cover (#ud6df554c-8f02-5a09-a775-35cab8bab2b7)
Praise (#uf2282948-eece-5b6c-b44e-b225a43daaa1)
Also by ANNE O’BRIEN (#ubfaf13e0-de49-5849-92da-bb4984f88f6a)
Title Page (#u3467648f-2c08-5d7b-abb8-c3975bc22a0a)
Copyright (#ue9d665da-bab9-582a-86f4-9d73eda3a119)
Dedication (#u0048337f-a6f6-5cc8-92a5-d30862e4e6d8)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (#u2e1f1dd3-d6bd-5934-9ac7-ddddcb2c4975)
Epigraph (#ud1222f39-d75a-5405-8dfc-894da05b84e8)
Prologue (#u5820207d-fb66-5f0b-b96c-98edf75038b6)
Chapter One (#u30b97c9a-79a2-5ee3-9c0f-8ed89897c0d5)
Chapter Two (#uc9c065b2-31f2-5efc-830c-34b713798dea)
Chapter Three (#u18653bc2-9f76-5697-b9de-5986dc0cd98a)
Chapter Four (#ub04dd0ac-65bf-502d-9378-5b1ed1174494)
Chapter Five (#u1275fd44-1fe1-5550-973a-6c43fef7e595)
Chapter Six (#u1feadc22-4bd1-5ae7-9a5b-174e3ae95323)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-One (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Two (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
AUTHOR NOTE (#litres_trial_promo)
Read all about it… (#litres_trial_promo)
MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Prologue (#ulink_911dcedd-28df-5e64-87d2-ed10d47be9fc)
January 1372: The Manor of Kettlethorpe, Lincolnshire
The water that had swamped the courtyard overnight, thanks to a sudden storm, soaked into my shoes. And then my stockings. I hitched my skirts, scowling at the floating debris around me. Even the chickens, isolated on a pile of wood in the corner, looked morose.
‘Who left that harness out?’ I demanded, seeing the coils of leather black and dripping on the hook beside the stable door. My servants, few as they were, had gone to ground, and since nothing could be done until the rain actually stopped, I squelched under cover again.
Kettlethorpe. My young son’s inheritance, and a poor one at that. The burden of it, since my husband’s recent death and the administration of the estate not yet settled, fell on my shoulders. I flexed them, my sodden, mud-daubed cloak lying unpleasantly around my throat. The shadow of a lively rodent caught my eye as it vanished behind the buttery screen.
