The Queen and the Countess

In the 1450s Margaret of Anjou must defend the crown and the inheritance of her son while Henry VI’s weakness allows rival noble factions to dominate government. Anne Beauchamp, Countess of Warwick, is expected to support her husband Richard Neville as his influence grows. Although their households stand on opposing sides, the queen and countess develop a guarded relationship shaped by the pressures placed upon women whose marriages locate them at the centre of dynastic conflict.

War repeatedly reverses the position of Lancaster, York and Warwick, making yesterday’s ally tomorrow’s enemy. Margaret fights for her son’s claim; Anne attempts to preserve her family and inheritance as her husband changes political direction. Their connection is tested by exile, battle and bereavement, and the novel uses their alternating fortunes to show how noblewomen exercised influence while bearing the consequences of decisions made in their names.