Duke of Norfolk – Adventures of a Tudor Nerd

Have you ever had an incident that was so impactful that it defined your entire life from that moment on? For Anne Howard, Countess of Arundel, it was the death of her younger brother, George. She vows vengeance against those who were behind his untimely demise. In the present day, Sarah must return to her godmother’s home, which holds a lot of memories, mostly painful. It is in the halls of this ancient house that Sarah meets Anne through a book of poetry. Can these two women find peace or will the truths bring even more disasters? Clare Marchant tells the stories of these two women, the tragedies and the poetry that unite them, in her latest novel, “The Shadow on the Bridge.”

I would like to thank Boldwood Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I liked the cover and when I read the description, it caught my eye. I have had Clare Marchant on my blog for a guest post, but I have yet to read her novels, so I decided to take a chance. I was not familiar with the story of Anne Howard, Countess of Arundel, so I was excited to read her story.

We begin with Anne Howard, born Anne Dacre, and her family at Barnhamcross Hall. She takes care of her young brother George, who is supposed to become the 5th Baron Greystoke. However, tragedy strikes when George falls from his rocking horse. It seems like a tragic accident, but Anne soon discovers that it was done deliberately. While Anne is married to Philip Howard, she secretly plans revenge against her father-in-law, the Duke of Norfolk. Anne Howard is known for her poetry, so she uses her skills with a quill to uncover a plot a bit closer to home.

Sarah, in the modern day, is a woman full of remorse and guilt. She has accepted to visit her godmother Cordelia at her home of Barnhamcross Hall, which holds many secrets and sorrows. Sarah knows what it means to lose a loved one as she lost her sister, Emily. Her parents blamed her, and they are no longer in her life. Cordelia is dying, and she wants to leave her home to Sarah. Sarah agrees to stay and help with organizing the estate, and while doing so, she finds a book of poetry from the past. It is through the story of Anne and George that Sarah finds the strength to confront her past.

This was a delightful read full of discovery, suspense, and healing. It was very well-balanced and gave a new perspective to the Howard family. It was such a gripping read that I want a sequel with the same characters because I became attached to them. I am looking forward to reading more novels by Clare Marchant. If you want a fun dual timeline escape that explores a lesser-known Tudor woman, I highly recommend you read, “The Shadow on the Bridge” by Clare Marchant.

out-now-on-amazon Today, I am pleased to welcome Sylvia Barbara Soberton to my blog to discuss one of the women featured in her latest book, “Ladies-in-Waiting: Women Who Served Anne Boleyn.”

In 1533, Anne Boleyn had seven maids of honour and one mother of maids, Mrs. Marshall, who supervised them on the Queen’s behalf. Apart from Mary Howard, Margery Horsman, and Jane Ashley, the maids who served Anne in 1532, there was Mary Zouche, Mary Shelton, Margaret Gamage, and Elizabeth Holland. Howard and Shelton were Anne Boleyn’s first cousins, and Holland was mistress of the Queen’s uncle, the Duke of Norfolk. Margaret Gamage was the first cousin of Jane Boleyn; only Mary Zouche was not related to Anne Boleyn.

Hans Holbein’s sketch inscribed “M Souch” depicts an exceptionally good-looking young woman dressed in highly flattering French fashions, revealing her blonde hair and décolletage. It is often suggested that the sitter may be Anne Gainsford, who married George Zouche in the 1530s, but Anne Gainsford rarely appears in the court records, whereas Mary Zouche is mentioned often. This “M Souch” was most likely Mary Zouche, daughter of John Zouche, eighth Baron Zouche of Harringworth, and his first wife Dorothy Capell. At some point during the late 1520s, she wrote a letter to her cousin, John Arundel, imploring him to help her and her sister to find employment at court as maids to either Katharine of Aragon or Princess Mary. She may have served one of them, but in 1533 she was Anne Boleyn’s maid, attending the Queen’s coronation.

After Anne’s execution in 1536, Mistress Zouche went on to serve as maid of honour to Jane Seymour. She became one of this Queen’s favourite ladies, receiving jewellery, including beads and girdles. Zouche was still unmarried in 1542 when she was granted an annuity of £10 “in consideration of her services to the King and the late Queen Jane.”

Description:

The aspects of Anne Boleyn’s life and death are fiercely debated by historians, yet her ladies-in-waiting remain an understudied topic. Much emphasis is usually put on Anne’s relationships with the men in her life: her suitors, her royal husband, her father and brother, and her putative lovers, who were executed on 17 May 1536. By concentrating on a previously neglected area of Anne Boleyn’s female household, this book seeks to identify the women who served Anne and investigate what roles ladies-in-waiting played in this Queen’s household.

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