Queen of the North: sumptuous and evocative historical fiction from the Sunday Times bestselling author. Anne O'Brien

      The Percy household spent the following days exclusively in making preparation for the march south to meet up with Lancaster, the Percy retainers arriving in number to camp both inside and outside our walls when space became an issue. Meanwhile two letters arrived for me, brought in a package of correspondence for the Earl. With a sister, a sister by law, as well as a slew of royal cousins, I was rarely without sources of information. Knowledge was power, knowledge tucked away within the lines of female and family gossip, which was in short supply for me in the northern March.

      Seated in solitude in my chamber, selecting my sister’s note first, I could imagine the venom with which it was written before I saw the familiar hurried scrawl. Four years younger than I, Philippa had acquired a forthright turn of phrase, and why would she not? Her second husband, Richard FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel, had met his death in the horrifying fashion of that doled out to a traitor, at Richard’s hands on Tower Hill for his part in the uprising to force Richard into seemly behaviour. Although she was now married again to Sir Thomas Poynings, revenge against Richard was never far from Philippa’s heart. And so it proved to be.

       To my dearest Elizabeth,

      I do not know where this will find you, since I imagine your Percy lords will not be slow in declaring their intent with this recent invasion, if that is what it turns out to be. It is my hope that they will declare for Lancaster. I will never forgive Richard for the blood on his hands. If you have any influence, use it in the memory of the agony our royal cousin brought to me. My lord of Arundel did not deserve death, nor the manner of it. I know that to act against the King could be damned as treason, but it was with the best of intentions, and for Richard to have my lord’s head hacked from his body in so foul a manner is beyond forgiveness.

      Nothing here that I would not expect. But this next surprised me, that Philippa was so well informed.

      If Henry of Lancaster is determined to recover his inheritance, I do not see him stopping there. He was always a boy driven by principle, even if it was only to put Richard in the dust when they had nothing more than wooden swords. I would welcome any choice he makes to take the crown for himself. In fact I would support him wholeheartedly, although I suspect that our nephew Edmund of March is in your mind. I cannot give such a claim my blessing, Elizabeth. If he were older then I might. As it is, his youth would lay England open to those who are power hungry and would use him to their own ends. Henry of Lancaster will be his own man.

      Perhaps we will see each other at his coronation, sister. It would be sweet retribution against Richard, to have his power so bespoiled. I never thought that I was a vengeful woman but Arundel’s death changed all that.

      What will Northumberland do, Elizabeth? If you have your husband’s ear, then use your wifely charms. Northumberland’s power behind Lancaster could tip the balance. My lord, Sir Thomas, is of a mind to remain loyal to Richard, so I do not talk about my desires here at home.

      I folded the letter tightly, scoring the folds with my thumbnail. Treasonous talk here. So Philippa’s heart was set on the Lancaster cause, the Mortimer claim rejected for purely practical reasons. Philippa was drenched in vengeance, and who better to achieve it than Lancaster? I was disappointed. Our Mortimer claim had been rejected, so it seemed to me, on purely selfish grounds, and yet, as ever, Philippa had stirred my thoughts. A young King, in need of a regent or a council to advise, could be open to gross manipulation. I wondered what Harry thought about that.

      I picked up the second letter, knowing that the tone would be very different in this package. The writing was careful, well formed, almost fragile, but Alianore was never fragile. She had a will of iron, as had her grandmother Joan, Countess of Kent. Alianore Holland had been wed to my brother Roger, Earl of March. Left with two sons and two daughters, Alianore was now wed to a Welsh marcher lord, Edward de Charleton of Powys, so I enjoyed her letters of the region where I was born and recalled my earliest memories spent at Wigmore and Ludlow.

      Elizabeth.

      No polite usage here. Alianore was in a state of agitation, all driven by family honour.

      What are we to do? I fear for my children, for my sons, for we know the strength of the Plantagenet claim to the throne is strong in their inheritance. If Richard is not King, then we both know it should be my son Edmund. The boys are royal wards since Roger’s death. If Lancaster ousts Richard and takes on their wardship in his own name, becoming their governor, can I be certain that Edmund will live to attain his majority and the right to rule in his own name as Earl of March? Should he not be King of England?

      I live with a great foreboding hanging over me that robs me of sleep. Will Northumberland support Lancaster, or will he raise his banners in the name of Mortimer? My son’s claim through a female line should not be allowed to divert rightful inheritance. I beg your support and any influence you have to protect my sons. I know that the pre-eminence of the Mortimer family is as important to you as it is to me.

      I am certain that Harry will listen to you.

      Alianore had signed without any query after my own health. So much dependence on my influence, when, in truth, with Northumberland I had none, and it was the Earl’s voice that was still loudest in this household.

      I folded Alianore’s letter and placed it in my coffer with the first. Both as treasonous as each other, but with diverse inclinations. What were my own thoughts? Lancaster or Mortimer? It was unfortunate that the Earl of March was so very young. Besides, there was as yet no evidence that Lancaster had any intention of removing Richard’s crown and wearing it himself. Perhaps all hostility between the two of them would be smoothed over, as calm and innocuous as the surface of a newly made Blomanger of Fysch, and Richard remain King with Lancaster, his titles and lands restored, at Richard’s side as his most loyal subject.

      Perhaps.

      I was still staring at the pages where I had placed them when Harry entered, in a hurry.

      ‘News from the family?’

      ‘Yes. Philippa and Alianore. My brother Edmund never writes. Not news so much as fear and vengeance and demands for support.’

      ‘I have misplaced a small leather-bound coffer. Have you seen it? There it is. What is it doing in here?’ He discovered it lurking beneath a pile of discarded rent rolls which should have been demanding his interest, and scooped it up. ‘What do they want?’

      ‘Philippa to support Lancaster and remove Richard, punishing him for Arundel’s death. Alianore to keep an eye on her two sons and their throne. Keeping both out of Lancaster’s hands and getting the crown for her son.’

      ‘Ambitious. And what does sister Elizabeth think?’

      ‘Since Lancaster’s intentions are deliberately opaque, sister Elizabeth is torn between loyalties.’

      ‘Let me know when you have decided.’ Then, in passing, he placed his hand on mine, his fingers firm, the planes and angles of his vivid features softening. ‘If those letters are as treacherous as you seem to be suggesting,