Mathilde of Westminster Trilogy

The Mathilde of Westminster Trilogy is narrated by a physician who once served Isabella of France before and after her marriage to Edward II. Looking back from later life, Mathilde records the murders, poisonings and acts of espionage that surrounded the young queen’s household. Her medical skill and position as a lady-in-waiting give her access to both intimate royal spaces and the wider contest between England and France.

The trilogy moves through the opening years of Edward II’s reign, when Peter Gaveston’s influence provokes baronial resistance and Isabella’s father, Philip IV, seeks leverage over the English court. Mathilde must protect her mistress while recognising that every faction uses information and personal loyalty as weapons. The books combine female-centred court history with investigations rooted in dynastic marriage, succession and the approaching civil conflict.