Praise for The Traitor's Wife
“A noblewoman pays the price for her loyalty to an unpopular king
and her unfaithful husband…conveys emotions and relationships
quite poignantly…entertaining historical fiction.”
—Kirkus Discoveries
“The dialogue is excellent, the characters are well formed and
vibrant… Higginbotham's talents lie not only in her capacity for
detailed genealogical research of the period, but also in her skill
in bringing these historical figures to life with passion, a
wonderful sense of humor, honor, and love.”
—Historical Novels Review Online
“Higginbotham has stirred to life a girl who is naïve and passionate,
impulsive and loyal…an endearing, involving story, made so by the
unconventional characters of Eleanor and Edward.”
—Reviewer's Choice
“Higginbotham makes history come alive…The Traitor's Wife is a tale
of intrigue, betrayal, loyalty and passion.”
—BookPleasures
“All the ingredients for a great tale: [love], treason, war and murder.
Couple this with Higginbotham's clear passion and knack for accuracy,
and this book is a can't miss…this novel was a joy to read.”
—Read and Review
“Beautifully researched and incredibly captivating, The Traitor's Wife
is a book you won't want to put down. Susan Higginbotham's
vivid portrayal of life during Edward II's tumultuous reign makes
for fascinating reading. Highly recommended!”
—Michelle Moran, bestselling author of The Heretic Queen
“Once I began The Traitor's Wife, I couldn't stop. When
the electricity went out one night, I actually found
myself reading by flashlight!”
—Sharon Kay Penman, bestselling author of Devil's Brood
“The Traitor's Wife brings to vibrant life a woman of determination
and courage, who became entangled in the colorful, often lethal
intrigues of Edward II's court. A captivating, well-paced read, full
of the dramatic passions of an era that has often been written about
but never from this particular point of view. Readers will
flock to the wit and verve of Eleanor de Clare.”
—C. W. Gortner, author of The Last Queen
“With each new layer, this tremendously researched novel just keeps
getting better. A worthy mate to Marlowe's play Edward II,
Higginbotham shows the subtle side of pain.”
—David Blixt, author of The Master of Verona
“Susan Higginbotham has delved into a dark period of
English history and given us a more sympathetic look at
a king of dubious reputation—Edward II.”
—Anne Easter Smith, author of A Rose for the Crown
“In scope, historical accuracy, and authoritative voice, this
novel reads like really good biography. In dramatic force it reads
like exceptional fiction. The maelstrom of death and destruction set
in motion by the avarice, betrayal, and revenge prevalent in the
English court of Edward II is a cautionary tale of
human frailty skillfully delivered.”
—Brenda Rickman Vantrease, author of The Illuminator
and The Mercy Seller
Copyright © 2005, 2007, 2009 by Susan Higginbotham
Cover and internal design © 2009 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover design by Kimberly Glyder Design
Cover Image (c) Bridgeman Art Library: Portrait of Saskia van Uylenburgh
(1612-42) in Rich Costume (oil on panel) (detail) (see 244316), Rembrandt
Harmensz. van Rijn (1606-69), Gemaeldegalerie Alte Meister, Kassel, Germany
Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Apart from well-known historical figures, any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Published by Sourcebooks Landmark, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc.
P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410
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Originally published in 2005 by iUniverse, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Higginbotham, Susan.
The traitor's wife / Susan Higginbotham.
p. cm.
1. De Clare, Eleanor, 1292-1337--Fiction. 2. Edward II, King of England, 1284-1327--Fiction. 3. Le Despenser, Hugh, Baron, d. 1326--Fiction. 4. Great Britain--History--Edward II, 1307-1327--Fiction. I. Title.
PS3608.I364T73 2009
813'.6--dc22
2008039530
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
VP 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
CONTENTS
Dedication
Characters
Part I: May 26, 1306 to November 24, 1326
i: May 1306
ii: February 1308 to March 1308
iii: June 1308 to July 1308
iv: February 1309 to February 1310
v: March 1310 to June 1312
vi: June 1312
vii: September 1312 to April 1314
viii: June 1314 to July 1314
ix: October 1314 to April 1317
x: November 1317 to December 1318
xi: July 1319 to January 1321
xii: February 1321 to August 1321
xiii: October 1321 to March 1322
xiv: October 1322 to March 1325
xv: April 1325 to September 1325
xvi: October 1325 to October 1326
xvii: October 1326
xviii: October 1326 to November 1326
Part II: November 1326 to June 30, 1337
xix: November 1326 to February 1327
xx: February 1327 to April 1327
xxi: June 1327 to September 1327
xxii: December 1327 to March 1328
xxiii: April 1328 to June 1328
xxiv: July 1328 to February 1329
xxv: March 1329 to December 1329
xxvi: February 1330 to March 1330
xxvii: April 1330 to November 1330
xxviii: January 1331 to February 1334
xxix: December 1334 to June 1337
Afterword
Hugh and Bess
Acknowledgments
Reading Group Guide
About the Author
To my family
NOBLE FAMILIES IN FOURTEENTH-CENTURY ENGLAND GENERALLY NAMED their children after the royal family and after their own close relations, which militated severely against variety and in this novel resulted in a plethora of real-life Edwards, Hughs, Eleanors, Joans, and the like. In keeping with my personal preferences, I have not changed the names of any of the historical characters in this novel, with the single exception of Eleanor's damsel Gladys, who is actually named Joan in the record in which she appears.
Married women or widows, when referred to separately from their husbands, were not necessarily known by their last husband's surname or by their maiden name. The thrice-married Eliz
abeth de Clare is referred to in records as Elizabeth de Burgh, from her first husband's name, while Isabel le Despenser, also married three times, is referred to as Isabel de Hastings, from the name of her second husband.
The following, and my policy of trying never to have more than two people with the same first name speaking at once, may be of use to the reader. It does not purport to be a genealogical table; children and spouses who played no part in the events here are generally omitted. Major characters are all listed here; minor characters are listed when I thought their inclusion would aid the reader. Titles are those that individuals bore when they are mentioned in this novel.
The Royal Family
Edward I, King of England, married to Eleanor of Castile and Margaret of France.
Edward II, Prince of Wales and later King of England, son of Edward I and Eleanor. Married to Isabella of France.
Joan of Acre, daughter of Edward I and Eleanor. Wife to Gilbert de Clare and Ralph de Monthermer. Countess of Gloucester.
Mary, daughter of Edward I and Eleanor. Nun of Amesbury.
Elizabeth, daughter of Edward I and Eleanor. Wife to Humphrey de Bohun. Countess of Hereford.
Edmund, son of Edward I and Margaret. Earl of Kent.
Thomas, son of Edward I and Margaret. Earl of Norfolk.
Edward III, later King of England, son of Edward II and Isabella. Also known as the Earl of Chester and the Duke of Aquitaine. Married to Philippa of Hainault.
John of Eltham, son of Edward II and Isabella. Made Earl of Cornwall in 1328.
Eleanor, daughter of Edward II and Isabella. Later married to the Count of Guelders.
Joan, daughter of Edward II and Isabella. Later married to David of Scotland, later King of Scotland.
Adam, out-of-wedlock son of Edward II by Lucy, a peasant girl.
The Church
Robert Winchelsey, Archbishop of Canterbury (1294).
Walter Reynolds, Archbishop of Canterbury (1313).
Simon de Mepham, Archbishop of Canterbury (1328).
William Melton, Archbishop of York.
Walter Langton, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield (1296).
Roger de Northburgh, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield (1322).
John de Hothum, Bishop of Ely.
Walter Stapeldon, Bishop of Exeter.
Adam de Orleton, Bishop of Hereford, later Bishop of Worcester (1328) and Bishop of Winchester (1333).
Henry Burghersh, Bishop of Lincoln.
Stephen Gravesend, Bishop of London.
John Salmon, Bishop of Norwich (1299).
William Ayrminne, Bishop of Norwich (1325).
Hamo de Hethe, Bishop of Rochester.
John Stratford, Bishop of Winchester.
The Clares
Joan of Acre, Countess of Gloucester. Daughter of Edward I and widow of Gilbert de Clare, late Earl of Gloucester.
Gilbert de Clare, son of Joan and Gilbert. Earl of Gloucester.
Eleanor de Clare (Eleanor le Despenser), daughter of Joan and Gilbert. Married to Hugh le Despenser the younger and William la Zouche.
Margaret de Clare (Margaret d'Audley), daughter of Joan and Gilbert. Countess of Cornwall. Married to Piers Gaveston and Hugh d'Audley.
Elizabeth de Clare (Elizabeth de Burgh), daughter of Joan and Gilbert. Married to John de Burgh, Theobald de Verdon, and Roger Damory.
The Despensers
Hugh le Despenser (“the elder”). Later Earl of Winchester. Married to Isabel Beauchamp.
Hugh le Despenser (“the younger”), son of Hugh and Isabel. Married to Eleanor de Clare.
Hugh, Edward, Gilbert, John, Isabel, Joan, Eleanor (Nora), Margaret, and Elizabeth, children of Hugh the younger and Eleanor.
Aline Burnell, daughter of Hugh the elder and Isabel. Widowed from Edward Burnell.
Isabel de Hastings, daughter of Hugh the elder and Isabel. Married to John de Hastings, her second husband, and Ralph de Monthermer, her third husband.
Thomas, Hugh, and Margaret, Isabel's children by John de Hastings.
Margaret de St. Amand, daughter of Hugh the elder and Isabel. Married to John de St. Amand.
Philip le Despenser, son of Hugh the elder and Isabel.
Nicholas de Litlyngton, out-of-wedlock son of Hugh the elder.
Earls and Their Kin
Edmund Fitz Alan, Earl of Arundel. Married to Alice, Countess of Arundel.
Richard Fitz Alan, later Earl of Arundel. Married to Isabel le Despenser, daughter of Hugh le Despenser the younger.
Edmund Arundel, son of Richard and Isabel.
Andrew Harclay, Earl of Carlisle.
Piers Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall. Married to Margaret de Clare.
Joan, daughter of Piers and Margaret.
Amie, out-of-wedlock daughter of Piers.
Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester. Married to Maud de Burgh.
Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford. Married to Elizabeth, daughter of Edward I.
Edward de Bohun, Humphrey and Elizabeth's son.
Thomas, Earl of Lancaster.
Henry of Lancaster, Earl of Leicester. Later Earl of Lancaster. Brother of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster.
Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln.
Roger Mortimer of Wigmore, Earl of March.
Aymer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke. Married to Beatrice and to Marie de St. Pol.
Jean Bretagne, Earl of Richmond.
John Warenne, Earl of Surrey. Married to Joan of Bar, granddaughter to Edward I.
Richard de Burgh, Earl of Ulster.
Maud de Burgh, Richard's daughter. Wife of Gilbert de Clare.
William de Burgh, Richard's grandson, later Earl of Ulster. Son of John de Burgh and Elizabeth de Burgh.
Guy de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick. Married to Alice, Countess of Warwick.
Thomas de Beauchamp, Guy and Alice's son, later Earl of Warwick.
The French Royal Family
Philip IV, King of France (1285 to 1314).
Louis X, Philip IV's son, King of France (1314 to 1316).
Philip V, Philip IV's son, King of France (1316 to 1322).
Charles IV, Philip IV's son, King of France (1322 to 1328).
Isabella, Philip IV's daughter, Queen of England.
Philip VI, Philip IV's nephew, King of France (1328 to 1350).
The Scottish Royal Family
Robert Bruce, King of Scotland (1306 to 1329).
David Bruce, Robert Bruce's son, King of Scotland (1329 to 1371).
Donald, Earl of Mar, Robert Bruce's nephew.
Others
Hugh d'Audley, friend of Edward II, husband of Margaret de Clare.
Bartholomew Badlesmere, steward to Edward II.
Robert Baldock, Chancellor of England.
Henry de Beaumont, lord.
Simon de Bereford, associate of Roger Mortimer of Wigmore.
Thomas de Berkeley, keeper of Edward II.
Maurice de Berkeley, Thomas's son.
Ingelram Berenger, knight to Hugh le Despenser the elder.
Roger Damory, friend of Edward II, husband of Elizabeth de Burgh.
Benedict de Fulsham, pepper merchant.
Gladys, damsel to Eleanor le Despenser.
John de Grey of Rotherfield, knight.
Thomas Gurney, associate of Roger Mortimer of Wigmore.
Gwenllian, nun of Sempringham and daughter of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales.
Joan of Bar, granddaughter of Edward I, wife of Earl of Surrey, and friend to Queen Isabella.
Alice de Leygrave, former nurse to Edward II and damsel to Queen Isabella.
John Maltravers, associate of Roger Mortimer of Wigmore.
William de Montacute, friend of Edward II.
William de Montacute, the elder William's son, friend of Edward III.
Ralph de Monthermer. Married to Joan of Acre, daughter of Edward I, later married to Isabel de Hastings, daughter of Hugh le Despenser the elder.
Thomas, Edward, and Joan de Monthermer, children of Ralph and
Joan of Acre.
Roger Mortimer of Chirk, uncle of Roger Mortimer of Wigmore.
William Ogle, associate of Roger Mortimer of Wigmore.
Simon of Reading, knight to Hugh le Despenser the younger.
John de Ros, lord.
Thomas Wake, son-in-law of Henry, Earl of Leicester.
Isabella de Vescy, sister of Henry de Beaumont and lady to Queen Isabella.
William la Zouche. Married to Alice, Countess of Warwick, and Eleanor de Clare.
Alan, son of William la Zouche and Alice.
William, son of William la Zouche and Eleanor.
Part I
* * *
MAY 26, 1306
TO
NOVEMBER 24, 1326
May 1306
PRINCE EDWARD AND PIERS GAVESTON HAD SLEPT TOGETHER AND TOO LATE, neither of which was at all unusual. Edward was the first to awake. “Up, Perrot.”
“No.” His beautiful friend yawned and rolled to his side.
“You must. We have a wedding to attend. And what if my father finds you here?”
Piers considered. “Apoplexy?”
“At the least.” But his friend made no move to leave the bed, and Edward did not press the matter.
“So it is your niece who is getting married. It occurs to me that I have hardly seen the girl.”
“Eleanor is but thirteen. She has spent some time lately in my stepmother's household, and then she stayed at Amesbury priory with my sister Mary for a time too. She has just lately returned for her marriage.”
“I cannot for the life of me understand why girls go to convents before they are married. One thinks that the company of elderly virgins would be dampening to marital ardor. Now if they went to brothels at least it would be educational and practical.”
Edward swatted his friend with a pillow. He said a bit wistfully, “When Eleanor was younger, I used to row her and her brother in my boat. Her sisters felt it was too unladylike, so they would never go along. But she loved it. She and Gilbert used to stick their noses in the air and pretend I was their boatman and shout orders at me.” He stroked his friend's hair. “I am sorry my father gave her to Hugh le Despenser. I would have liked her to be your wife.”