"Loyalty breaks as easily as a silken thread."

Misplaced trust, power hunger, emotional blackmail, and greed haunt twelve characters from post-Roman Britain to the present day. And betrayal by family, lover, comrade can be even more devastating.

Read twelve tales by twelve accomplished writers who explore these historical yet timeless challenges.

AD455—Roman leader Ambrosius is caught in a whirlpool of shifting allegiances
AD940—Alyeva and cleric Dunstan navigate the dangers of the Anglo Saxon court
1185—Knight Stephan fights for comradeship, duty, and honour. But what about love?
1330—The powerful Edmund of Kent enters a tangled web of intrigue
1403—Thomas Percy must decide whether to betray his sovereign or his family
1457—Estelle is invited to the King of Cyprus’s court, but deception awaits
1483—Has Elysabeth made the right decision to bring Prince Edward to London?
1484—Margaret Beaufort contemplates the path to treason
1577—Francis Drake contends with disloyalty at sea
1650—Can James Hart, Royalist highwayman, stop a nemesis destroying his friend?
1718—Pirate Annie Bonny, her lover Calico Jack, and a pirate hunter. Who will win?
1849/present—Carina must discover her ancestor’s betrayer in Italy or face ruin.

“I read this anthology from start to finish in a matter of days…. Each story is gripping.”– Discovering Diamonds Reviews

‘A king must have sons: strong, healthy sons to rule after him.’

On the unexpected death of Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales his brother, Henry, becomes heir to the throne of England. The intensive education that follows offers Henry a model for future excellence; a model that he is doomed to fail.

On his accession, he chooses his brother’s widow, Caterina of Aragon, to be his queen. Together they plan to reinstate the glory of days of old and fill the royal nursery with boys.

But when their first-born son dies at just a few months old, and subsequent babies are born dead or perish in the womb, the king’s golden dreams are tarnished

Christendom mocks the virile prince. Caterina’s fertile years are ending yet all he has is one useless living daughter, and a baseborn son.

He needs a solution but stubborn to the end, Caterina refuses to step aside.

As their relationship founders his eye is caught by a woman newly arrived from the French court. Her name is Anne Boleyn.

A Matter of Conscience: The Aragon Years offers a unique first-person account of the ‘monster’ we love to hate and reveals a man on the edge; an amiable man made dangerous by his own impossible expectation.

The story continues in A Matter of Faith: Book Two of The Henrician Chronicle.

                              From the author of 'The Beaufort Chronicle' and 'The Heretic Wind.'

'Wonderfully written book about Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII.'

As King Henry VI slips into insanity and the realm of England teeters on the brink of civil war, a child is married to the mad king’s brother. 

Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, takes his child bride into Wales where Margaret must put aside childhood, acquire the dignity of a Countess and, despite her tender years, produce Richmond with a son and heir.

As the friction between York and Lancaster intensifies 14-year-old Margaret is widowed and turns for protection to her brother-in-law, Jasper Tudor. 

At his stronghold in Pembroke, two months after her husband’s death, Margaret gives birth to a son whom she names Henry, after her cousin the king. 

Margaret is small of stature but her tiny frame conceals a fierce and loyal heart and a determination that will not falter until her son’s destiny as the king of England is secured.

The Beaufort Bride traces Margaret’s early years from her nursery days at Bletsoe Castle to the birth of her only son in 1457 at Pembroke Castle. Her story continues in Book Two: The Beaufort Woman.

'Ms Arnopp breathes fresh life into the world that Margaret lived.' - Mary Anne Yarde, author of the Du Lac Chronicles

'Arnopp is one of those writers who can make history come alive.'  

October 1485
Richard III is dead. With the English crown finally in his possession, Henry Tudor’s reign is hindered by continuing unrest. 

While the king is plagued with uprisings and pretenders to his throne, Margaret in her capacity as The King’s Mother oversees the running of his court. 

The warring houses of York and Lancaster are united but as the royal nursery fills with children Margaret’s expectation of perfect harmony begins to disintegrate.

As quickly as Henry dispatches those whose move against him, new conflicts arise and, dogged by deceit and the harrowing shadow of death, Margaret realises that her time for peace has not yet come.

Intrigue, treason and distrust blights the new Tudor dynasty, challenging Margaret’s strength of character and her steadfast faith in God.

The King’s Mother is the third and final book in The Beaufort Chronicles, tracing the life of Margaret Beaufort.

'This is a richly drawn novel. The historical figures walk off the page' - The Coffee Pot Book Club

As the struggle between York and Lancaster continues, Margaret Beaufort fights for admittance to the court of the victorious Edward IV of York and his unpopular queen, Elizabeth Woodville.

The old king and his heir are dead, York now rules over England and the royal nursery is full. 

But Edward and Elizabeth’s magnificent court hides a dark secret, a deception that threatens the security of the English throne … and all who lust after it.

In 1483, with the untimely death of the King, Margaret finds herself at the heart of chain of events that threaten the supremacy of York, and will change England forever.

The Beaufort Woman: One woman’s selfless struggle for the rights of her son.

"A sympathetic and compelling account of Anne Boleyn’s story that kept me enthralled from beginning to end. Superbly crafted." Claire Ridgway, The Anne Boleyn Files

1547.

Henry VIII is dying, haunted by a ghost from his past. Anne Boleyn.

On her return from France, Anne Boleyn takes the English court by storm. Her vibrant intelligence and ready wit instantly attracts the jaded eye of the king.

Henry is already tired of his ageing wife, Catherine of Aragon, and furious at her failure to provide him with a son. When he pleads with Anne to become his mistress, she refuses for her heart is already set on Harry Percy, heir to the mighty earldom of Northumberland.

But the king is determined and the courtship that follows scandalises Christendom.

During Henry’s long drawn-out struggle to be free of Catherine it becomes clear that the king intends to have Anne not just as his mistress but his wife.

Once Queen of England, Anne is expected to provide the illusive Tudor heir. But instead of the longed-for prince, she gives birth to a girl – Elizabeth - and a few years later, a dead son.

Anne’s days of triumph are over and Henry’s eye begins to roam - leaving Anne vulnerable as her enemies stir in the shadows and begin to work against her. She becomes a victim of both love and politics.

The Kiss of the Concubine traces the relationship between Henry and Anne from their first meeting to beyond the scaffold.

Recommended reading for fans of Alison Weir, Philippa Gregory and Sarah Gristwood.

Judith Arnopp is the author of numerous bestselling historical novels, including Intractable Heart, written from the perspective of Tudor women, from all walks of life.

'Written with passion and empathy, Arnopp’s insight and extensive, faultless research shines throughout A Song of Sixpence.' 

Tudor London: 1540.

Each night, after dark, men flock to Bankside seeking girls of easy virtue; prostitutes known as The Winchester Geese.

Joanie Toogood has worked the streets of Southwark since childhood but her path is changed forever by an encounter with Francis Wareham, a spy for the King’s secretary, Thomas Cromwell. 

Meanwhile, across the River, at the glittering court of Henry VIII, Wareham also sets his cap at Evelyn and Isabella Bourne, members of the Queen’s household and the girls, along with Joanie, are drawn into intrigue and the shadow of the executioner’s blade.

Set against the turmoil of Henry VIII’s middle years, The Winchester Goose provides a brand new perspective of the happenings at the royal court, offering a frank and often uncomfortable observation of life at both ends of the social spectrum.

'A wonderful journey through a most precarious and perilous chapter in the very beginnings of Tudor history.' 

In the aftermath of the Battle of Bosworth, a small boy is ripped from his rightful place as future king of England. His Sister Elizabeth marries the invading King, Henry Tudor.

Years later  when the boy returns to claim is throne, Elizabeth is torn between love for her brother and duty to her husband. 

As the final struggle between the houses of York and Lancaster is played out, Elizabeth is torn by conflicting loyalty, terror and unexpected love. 

Set at the court of Henry VII, A Song of Sixpence offers a new perspective on the early years of Tudor rule. Elizabeth of York, often viewed as a meek and uninspiring queen, emerges as a resilient woman whose strengths lie in endurance rather than resistance.