The Queen's Secret - (Queens of England Novel) by Jean Plaidy (Paperback)

About the Book

The Queens of England series is the quintessence of Plaidy--and the seventh installment features the scandalous wife and widow of Henry V. After a miserable childhood, Princess Katherine of France is delighted to find herself married to the handsome young King of England. But after Henry's death, she accepts the attentions of a Welsh knight, an act of treason with far-reaching results.

Book Synopsis

Katherine of Valois was born a princess, the daughter of King Charles VI of France. But by the time Katherine was old enough to know him, her father had come to be called "Charles the Mad," given to unpredictable fits of insanity. The young princess lived a secluded life, awaiting her father's sane moments and suffering through the mad ones, as her mother took up with her uncle and their futures became more and more uncertain. Katherine's fortunes appeared to be changing when, at nineteen, she was married to King Henry V of England. Within two years, she gave birth to an heir--but her happiness was fleeting. Soon after the birth of her son, she lost her husband to an illness.

With Joan of Arc inciting the French to overthrow English rule, Katherine's loyalty to her adopted homeland of England became a matter of intense suspicion. Katherine had brought her dowry and borne her heir; what use was she to England? It was decreed that she would live out her remaining years alone, far from the seat of power. But no one, not even Katherine herself, could have anticipated that she would fall in love with and secretly marry one of her guardians, Owen Tudor--or that a generation later, their grandson would become the first king of the great Tudor dynasty.

About the Author

Jean Plaidy is the pen name of the prolific English author Eleanor Hibbert, also known as Victoria Holt. Her novels have sold more than 14 million copies worldwide.