Audiobook Spotlight and Snippet: The Godmother’s Secret by Elizabeth St.John Audiobook, narrated by Elizabeth St.John

Follow the tour HERE

"An extremely well-written book with depth and complexity to the main characters. The author says she wanted to write a book about family love and tolerance, and a woman's loyalty and courage. She has done so. This is the best book I've read in ages!"

The Ricardian Bulletin, Richard III Society

"The authenticity and historical research displayed within this story is immense and exquisite. Ms. St. John is sure to be a newfound favorite for fans of not only this fractious time in English history, but of all historical fans who adore rich, immersive prose."

Historical Fiction Company 2022 Book of the Year

"A very enjoyable read. The historical veracity is impeccable, and Elysabeth is a likeable, admirable character who faces interesting dilemmas with love and courage."
Historical Novel Society

If you knew the fate of the Princes in the Tower, would you tell? Or forever keep the secret?

May 1483: The Tower of London. When King Edward IV dies and Lady Elysabeth Scrope delivers her young godson, Edward V, into the Tower of London to prepare for his coronation, she is engulfed in political turmoil. Within months, the prince and his brother have disappeared, Richard III is declared king, and Elysabeth’s sister Margaret Beaufort conspires with her son Henry Tudor to invade England and claim the throne.

Desperate to protect her godson, Elysabeth battles the intrigue, betrayal, and power of the last medieval court, defying her Yorkist husband and her Lancastrian sister under her godmother’s sacred oath to keep Prince Edward safe. Bound by blood and rent by honour, Elysabeth is torn between King Richard and Margaret Beaufort, knowing that if her loyalty is questioned, she is in peril of losing everything—including her life.

Were the princes murdered by their uncle, Richard III? Did Margaret Beaufort mastermind their disappearance to usher in the Tudor dynasty? Or did the young boys vanish for their own safety? Of anyone at the royal court, Elysabeth has the most to lose–and the most to gain–by keeping secret the fate of the Princes in the Tower.

Inspired by England’s most enduring historical mystery, Elizabeth St.John blends her family history with known facts and centuries of speculation to create an intriguing story about what happened to the Princes in the Tower.

 

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Autumn 1470 | Westminster Sanctuary

A secret has been conceived . . .

“Entry, in the name of God and King Henry!” My guard clouts the iron-clad door of Cheyneygates, challenging the sanctuary of Westminster Abbey. “The Lady Elysabeth Scrope demands entry!”

A murther of crows startles from the gables, cawing and whirling around my head and circling up into the clouded heavens. I join three fingers in the holy trinity and cross myself; head, chest, sinister and dexter. These ancient purveyors of death do not disturb me, for I have not survived this war to be hindered by a superstition. If there were a crow for every dead soldier, England would be a huge raucous rookery. But it never hurts to invoke God’s protection. The crows swoop and squabble and alight singly among the gargoyles on the parapets of the soot-stained Abbey. Like the granite tors of my Yorkshire home, these walls are impenetrable and inaccessible. And just as hostile. God offers protection to all who claim sanctuary. And men erect walls to keep them safe.

No stirring from within. I sigh. Not unexpected. “Knock again,” I command the guard. “Let them know their visitors will not leave.”

The waning October afternoon trickles shadows into the well of the courtyard. I pull my cloak closer, thankful I had chosen my finest weave to keep the warmth in and the damp out. The sun had shone golden when we rode out from London, but upon reaching Westminster we collided with the rain clouds streaming in from the west.

Fallen mulberry leaves clog the stone steps rising before me, rotting unswept in the hollows. Someone isn’t taking care of the abbot’s house. It is clear that no one has left nor entered for a while. The guard’s hammering is unanswered, and yet to the right of the door a candle flame glimmers through a browed window and a shadow flits elusively.

I push back my hood, and a spatter of rain needles my face. Here, gatekeeper. Here's reassurance I bear your fugitive no threat. I am of middling age, graceful, fair of face, my countenance pleasing, I’ve heard say. Hardly a threat.

The rain unfurls in sheets. I raise my voice. “I am not asking the queen to break sanctuary.” God knows the wretched woman would make it easier on all of us if she did. I motion the guard aside and edge up the slippery steps to the door. “I am here to join her.”

Elizabeth St.John

Elizabeth St.John’s critically acclaimed historical fiction novels tell the stories of her ancestors: extraordinary women whose intriguing kinship with England's kings and queens brings an intimately unique perspective to Medieval, Tudor, and Stuart times.

Inspired by family archives and residences from Lydiard Park to the Tower of London, Elizabeth spends much of her time exploring ancestral portraits, diaries, and lost gardens. And encountering the occasional ghost. But that’s another story.

Living between California, England, and the past, Elizabeth is the International Ambassador for The Friends of Lydiard Park, an English charity dedicated to conserving and enhancing this beautiful centuries-old country house and park. As a curator for The Lydiard Archives, she is constantly looking for an undiscovered treasure to inspire her next novel.

Elizabeth's books include her trilogy, The Lydiard Chronicles, set in 17th Century England during the Civil War, and her newest release, The Godmother's Secret, which explores the medieval mystery of the missing Princes in the Tower of London.

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THE HISTORY GALS: Daily Mail: Richard III may have been INNOCENT of ‘Princes in the Tower’ murders by Mary Ann Bernal and Vivienne Brereton

 Following the Adventures of Jen and Lucy

Jen Hailing from New York City

Lucy Hailing from the Cotswolds

Breaking News from the Daily Mail spreads ripples across the pond where Lucy’s favorite Anglophile is doing a happy dance after reading the article about Richard III. The ecstatic American has only recently returned from Britain but still has one foot remaining firmly in Leicester.

Replying to Lucy’s email, Jen’s nimble fingers can’t type fast enough, prompting a video call between them to discuss the latest development furthering Richard III’s cause.

Jen is sitting in front of her computer, her excitement evident to Lucy when making the connection.

“I told you Richard was a nice young man with a kind face and couldn’t possibly be guilty,” beams Lucy. “And how wonderful that a historian from Leicester University believes the younger prince, the King’s nephew, and namesake, little Richard of Shrewsbury, was returned to his mother and lived out his life in peace. What a happy ending!”

“Who would have thought proof about the King’s lack of involvement with the princes would come up so soon after we visited Bosworth Field,” Jen replies. “Have to love historians!”

“We certainly do,” nods Lucy, lifting a cup of Earl Grey to her lips. “I think Philippa Langley has done an absolutely splendid job with her Missing Princes Project. That shows real dedication.”

“But what about the Queen not letting the scientists examine those infamous bones found under the stairwell in the Tower. We have better technology since they were last examined. It’s a cover-up if you ask me.”

Lucy gives a guilty glance over at the two porcelain corgis in pride of place on the mantelpiece as if they can hear the blasphemous words. With Charles and Camilla living only a mile or so away at Highgrove, one never knew who might pop in. A lifelong royalist, Jen’s words feel almost treasonous, but she can’t help wholeheartedly agreeing. “I would like to know the Queen’s reasons, I must say.”

“Me, too. So, what do you think? Is this John Evans really Edward V?”

Lucy picks up an organic lemon biscuit from the Highgrove shop, deciding she can’t imagine Camilla baking them. “Well, I must admit, the arguments are very convincing. Especially his name starting with E for Edward and V for the fifth king. And AS for ‘asa’ in Latin, which means sanctuary. Someone certainly had a sense of humour.”

Jen looks thoughtful. “Probably Richard himself? To show the boys’ mother he was still honoring their royal status. After all, he must have been the one who originally came up with the plan.”

“It’s odd that there are only two other glass portraits of Edward V and one is in the royal window at Canterbury Cathedral. Why is there one in a rural church in Devon in the middle of nowhere? It doesn’t make sense.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

Lucy can’t help herself. “Oh, Jen, how I wish you were here now. I could take you for supper at the Snooty Fox. Wouldn’t it be fun to catch up with all this? I’ve been thinking how hard it must have been for the princes’ grieving mother to strike a bargain with her brother-in-law after the death of her beloved husband, King Edward.”

“I don’t think Elizabeth Woodville was easily swayed. She must have known in her heart that a Protectorship was extremely dangerous to her son’s well-being. Edward would never rule; he’d be taken prisoner or killed because he stood in the way. And Richard must have mentioned the battles destroying the Houses of York and Lancaster. The country needed peace, and Richard had proven himself in the north. He could govern wisely, and that’s what England needed, a strong leader. She had no choice but to trust her brother-in-law.”

“That makes sense, Jen. As a mother of two sons myself and looking back from our time, I, too, would think it was safer if Richard, as Edward’s surviving brother, and an adult, took over.”

“If that’s what happened, score a point for Richard. Unfortunately, when he was killed, Henry VII’s mother, that conniving Margaret Beaufort, decided to blacken Richard’s name, saying it was better for her son if everyone thought the princes were dead. So, Yorkist Richard became a murderous uncle and the devil incarnate. And Henry Tudor, an angel from heaven. The House of York to whom the new Queen belonged - vilified - and the new King’s House of Tudor - praised to the skies. What bull! Excuse my French.”

Lucy sighs. “Poor Elizabeth Woodville. She didn’t stand a chance against that schemer. There certainly wasn’t room at court for a Queen’s Mother as well as a King’s Mother. But galling as it is, Margaret Beaufort was probably right. If everyone thought the boys were dead, no one would come looking for them. And there could be no factions. Elizabeth’s daughter would be married off to Margaret’s son.”

“Yep. A win-win situation for everyone except for Richard! Of course, I also loved the DaVinci code reference in the article. So exciting. It reminded me a bit of Indiana Jones and “digging in the wrong place.” There were so many clues no one bothered to check. Why? Because they didn’t want the truth! Looking the other way kept them in power – yeah, I’m talking about the Tudor upstart and his mother. Too convenient if you ask me. And let’s not forget that cunning Margaret had the boys’ mother packed off to Bermondsey Abbey. I’m sure that wasn’t in the original deal with Richard. She was probably jealous that Elizabeth was still beautiful and a King of England had lost his heart to her, a commoner.”

Lucy suddenly thinks of the wonderful courtship between the Queen and Prince Philip portrayed in The Crown, and her eyes mist over. “Actually, I think their story is very romantic.”

“I agree. Edward and Elizabeth’s marriage is a storybook happy ending. On the other hand, I don’t think Margaret was ever truly in love. She seemed like such a cold fish, hiding behind piety! Yet, in all fairness, Margaret probably had no choice and made the best of a bad situation. But I still think she is as guilty as sin! Her fingerprints are over everything, including this deal if it ever existed.”

“Well, we’ve got a real mystery on our hands now. As good as any episode of Midsummer Murders.”

“I love John Nettles. And he always got his man.” Jen giggles. “The cops caught many criminals by following the money. With us, we follow the documents! As for Thomas More, he was only five when the princes in the Tower disappeared. He was nothing more than a Tudor puppet. Until the day arrived when he wasn’t.”

“You mean when he lost his head,” says Lucy in a solemn voice.

“Exactly. No one said no to Henry VIII and lived to tell the tale! So, anything More wrote about Richard was total hearsay, not admissible in a court of law.”

Lucy is full of admiration for her friend. “Didn’t you study law at university, Jen? You always seem to know so much. I met Giles right after I left boarding school. He was a few years older and persuaded me not to bother continuing with my studies. I had a place at Durham University to study history.”

Jen notices a fleeting sadness when looking directly into Lucy’s eyes. She isn’t sure she likes the sound of Giles, whom she suspects is overbearing and controlling. He probably didn’t want Lucy to go to college to prevent her from outgrowing their relationship and running off with someone else smarter than him! She wonders if he approves of Lucy’s passion for history. Almost certainly not. Jen is more determined than ever to help her friend pursue her hobby. “On my next trip over, we must visit Coldridge and St. Matthew’s church and check out the clues mentioned in the article. What do you think?”

Lucy claps her hands together. “Oh, yes, I’d love that. I can’t wait to visit the church and see all the clues Edward or, should I say, John Evans left there. Ones that will absolve his uncle of all guilt. I wonder what all the naysayers are thinking now. The ones who are so vocal about Richard III being guilty. Good King Richard! We’re riding to the rescue. Your name will soon be cleared.”

Read the Daily Mail article HERE

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 Follow the authors

 Vivienne Brereton

 Amazon Author Page    Twitter   Website

Mary Ann Bernal

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The Princes in the Tower

Source:  Wikipedia Commons