‘You must forever watch your back,’ I spoke the words clearly, though he could not hear me. ‘Come what may, I shall avenge my brother’s death.’’
Now: When Sarah’s summoned by her godmother to remote Norfolk, she doesn’t want to go.
Crossing the bridges where the two rivers meet, said to be haunted by the ghost of a little boy, a large Tudor house looms in front of her. And Sarah’s instantly reminded her of the summer when she
last visited. The summer she would like to forget. Which left her unable to ever move forward… Can a person ever recover from the loss of a sibling?
1571: Anne Howard, newly-made countess of Arundel, has also lost a sibling. And been dragged from the relative safety of her home in remote Norfolk to London, by her overbearing, manipulative, new
father-in-law Thomas Howard; the very person she suspects of killing her beloved only brother. The Howards have greater secrets than this though. Secrets that will lead Anne to a tragedy that will echo
down the ages…
When Sarah finds a mysterious book of poems in a hidden chamber of her godmother’s house, she is drawn into Anne’s story. Perhaps the mystery will take her mind off her own loss? But – as the flood waters begin to rise under the bridges – is Sarah laying ghosts to rest, or bringing truths to the surface that should stay beneath?
A completely haunting, gripping historical novel, perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory, Alison Weir, and Diane Setterfield’s Once Upon a River.
Growing up in Surrey, Clare always dreamed of being a writer. Instead, after gaining a degree in history and an MA in women’s studies she accidentally fell into a career in IT. After spending many years as a project manager in London, she moved to Norfolk for a quieter life and trained as a professional jeweller. Now, finally writing full-time, she lives with her husband and the youngest two of her six children.
Facebook: @claremarchantauthor
Twitter: @claremarchant1
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My thoughts: The Howards were an incredibly well connected Tudor court family, through the Boleyns they were cousins to Elizabeth I, through the Seymours, linked to her brother Edward VI, three of the cousins had been married to Henry VIII. But they never seemed to be happy with their lot. The Duke of Norfolk, this particular Howard, schemed to take the throne, marry his other cousin Mary Queen of Scots and crown himself king. Not that it worked out.
In this dual narrative story, that’s because of his furious daughter-in-law, who had also been his stepdaughter for a while (honestly, this probably caused some consternation but was pretty typical of the Howard/Seymour/Boleyns) who blames him entirely for the death of her younger brother, in an attempt to seize the family estate. So she spies on him, uncovers his plot and gives cleverly concealed proof to Elizabeth I’s spymaster, Walsingham.
In the present Sarah is cleaning out her godmother’s sprawling Norfolk home and finds a mysterious book of poetry, the poems seem to carry secret messages. When she finds the remains of a rocking horse hidden in the attic, she pieces together the story of George and Anne’s revenge for his tragic murder.
At the same time she must come to terms with her own long held grief and confront the accident that happened the last time she visited her godmother’s home. Unfortunately her ghastly parents pop by for a visit, opening old wounds, but perhaps it’s time to let go of that resentment and pain…
Cleverly written, weaving the lives of the two women around each other, the grief and pain that both Sarah and Anne carry driving them to see their lives in new light and honour their siblings in very different ways.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 