The Lost King Read Online Free PDF

more than dreamed of it, he thought he had a right. He was furious about the marriage to Elizabeth, and even more furious about being forced to keep the secret, to protect the York family from scandal and downfall.’
    â€˜Yes, of course.’
    â€˜Clarence had no guilty marriage hidden away, so he felt he should rule,’ Annie goes on. ‘And of course Warwick was spreading this rumour that his brother, King Edward, was himself illegitimate. Nonsense, if you ask me – a typical bit of Warwick mischief. But it gave Clarence even more reason to want his older brother out of the way.’
    â€˜
That’s
why he and Warwick kept conspiring!’
    â€˜Yes. And that’s partly what the wars were about. If Edward could be killed in battle, it would be nobody’s fault. Clarence would be crowned king and the York family name – and his mother’s reputation – wouldn’t be dragged in the mud. Without Edward, Elizabeth would lose her power to get favours for the Woodvilles, so they would cause no trouble. But Edward was such a good fighter, they simply couldn’t kill him.’
    â€˜So Clarence went on keeping the secret.’
    â€˜He had to. Elizabeth controlled everyone. Edward gave her whatever she demanded, because she could destroy him whenever she chose. All she had to do was act the innocent and say she’d just found out about a previous wife, and he’d be finished. And, of course, he was still completely infatuated with her, so he didn’t mind.’
    Trying to be fair, I say, ‘Perhaps she really didn’t know about the earlier marriage.’
    Annie snorts with contempt.
    â€˜Of course she did! Elizabeth’s mother was Jacquetta of Luxembourg. She knew everyone and everything – people said she was a witch, they were quite scared of her. Jacquetta saw from the start that her daughter could blackmail the King if she could make him marry her. And she was right.’
    A thought comes to my grieving mind. ‘The morning when the boys and I heard the Queen shouting at Edward, she said “that old tale” shouldn’t worry him.’
    â€˜What she meant was, keeping it secret didn’t worry Clarence,’ Annie says. ‘Not any more. Think of it, Lisa. He was imprisoned in the Tower and knew he’d be executed sooner or later. His wife was dead. Warwick, too.’
    â€˜He had nothing to lose.’
    â€˜Exactly. So why not tell everyone the secret? At least they’d know he’d had a justifiable claim to be King when Edward died. Elizabeth was desperately afraid he would talk. Edward was afraid as well, once she made him face it. Think how fast he acted, that morning when you heard her shouting at him. Clarence was tried, condemned and back in the Tower before he could say a word to anyone. Dead a few hours later.’
    I can see it all, and I’m frightened.
    â€˜What will she do now?’
    â€˜Elizabeth?’ Annie shrugs. ‘The Lord knows. With Edward gone, she’ll get no more support from the house of York. They hate her, and always have – with good reason. The talk is that she’s toadying up to the Lancasters, and I think that’s true. She’s offered them her eldest daughter as a wife for Henry Tudor.’
    â€˜I know. But – surely she wants to see Edward on the throne? He’s her son.’
    But another awful truth dawns and I smack a hand to my head.
    â€˜No! She knows he can’t rule. She’s known all along. It could have worked if the secret had held, butEdward is no use to her now. Neither is his brother. They never will be.’ I feel sick with horror.
    We stare at each other.
    Annie asks, ‘Do you think young Edward knows the secret, Lisa? You’ve been closer to him than most.’
    I shake my head.
    â€˜I’m sure he doesn’t.’
    Ever since he was small, Edward has shown no doubt about his future kingship. I can see now,