I am so pleased to be part of the blog tour for this book, and to be sharing an extract. Nothing Proved is the first in the Regina series and looks well worth delving into.
The Blurb
Danger lined her path, but destiny led her to glory…
Elizabeth Tudor learned resilience young. Declared illegitimate after the execution of her mother Anne Boleyn, she bore her precarious position with unshakable grace. But upon the death of her father, King Henry VIII, the vulnerable fourteen-year-old must learn to navigate a world of shifting loyalties, power plays, and betrayal.
After narrowly escaping entanglement in Thomas Seymour’s treason, Elizabeth rebuilds her reputation as the perfect Protestant princess – which puts her in mortal danger when her half-sister Mary becomes Queen and imposes Catholicism on a reluctant land. Elizabeth escapes execution, clawing her way from a Tower cell to exoneration. But even a semblance of favor comes with attempts to exclude her from the throne or steal her rights to it through a forced marriage.
Elizabeth must outwit her enemies time and again to prove herself worthy of power. The making of one of history’s most iconic monarchs is a gripping tale of survival, fortune, and triumph.
The Extract
May 24, 1553
The minister raised his arms for the concluding prayers. “Take us and use us to love and serve you, and all people, in the power of Your Spirit and in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Elizabeth barely remembered the shock she had experienced when she first returned to worship at St. Ethelreda’s after Edward’s reforms stripped the nave of decoration. She was now accustomed to the whitewashed walls, though she did still miss the music.
With the service ended, she stood with her ladies to leave, smiling to the other congregants and exchanging wishes of peace as she did every week, conscious of the example she set.
Just outside the church, a burly, somewhat familiar, fellow came to address her. His canvas doublet was not expensive enough to make him a merchant, but he might be a craftsman or journeyman. His reluctant posture suggested he had been prodded to approach her. “Might you attend the archery competition, Your Grace? We are shooting against the village of Stanborough, up the road.” His voice held a nervous tremor. “We will set a special place for you.”
“How kind,” Elizabeth said. “But are these the champions who bested us last year?”
"We have all been practicing for months,” the man said. “Much as a Sunday afternoon begs for a well-earned nap, we have used our days of rest to work hard.” A sudden wide smile revealed a lacking front tooth, and she recognized the glover’s assistant. “At least until the pub opens.”
Elizabeth infused warmth into her voice, to show she was teasing. “What? On the Lord’s Day?”
“When you have only one day to yourself, you have to make the most of it,” he said. “And the extra pastimes help me praise God all the more for His grace.”
Elizabeth smiled at his good nature. “Your name is Harry, as I recall?” She had a fantastic memory for faces and used it whenever possible for the effect it had on people.
Sure enough, his chest puffed with pride. “Yes, Your Grace. Harry, after your father.” He grabbed the woman just behind him and pulled her forward. “And this is my wife Lissa, after your grandmother.”
Despite the woman’s grey hair, her nimble step suggested she was not much past twenty, like Harry.
“We have that in common,” Elizabeth said.
Lissa curtsied low. “Thank you, Your Grace, and may I say it is good to see you recovered. We were worried about you.”
“Worried?”
“When you did not attend the weddings. We feared you were ill.”
Elizabeth felt her eyes narrow. “Weddings?”
“Three of them at the Duke of Northumberland’s estate. His son to Jane Grey, his daughter to the son of the Earl of Huntingdon. And Katherine Grey to the son of the Earl of Pembroke.”
A huge celebration from which Elizabeth had been excluded. Powerful alliances cemented in the face of the King’s purported relapse. Her mind turned over the facts like a locksmith picking at a tumbler. “Ah, yes,” Elizabeth lied. “I was sorry to miss them. But how do you know about them?”
“One of the sellers on market day had just come from London, from the market near Durham House, with no asparagus left because it was all taken for the feast. The Duchess was so grateful for his spears that she let him onto the grounds to watch. Lots of others too. She must not have planned well.”
“That must have been quite exciting.” Elizabeth kept her voice light. “Was he close enough to see the bride and groom? Or, rather, brides and grooms.”
“He saw them all arrive, and said it was as many dukes and duchesses and earls and countesses as Christmas at court. Even Ambassadors – they say the French one came with a horse as a gift. No one was missing but the King.” She broke off and curtsied, embarrassed. “And of course you, Your Grace. And the Lady Mary. I pray she is healthy as well.”
All the highest people, even ambassadors. A rushed state occasion without the King or the next heirs. Why had Northumberland not waited? And why had he snubbed her after courting her friendship so diligently? Most important, how sick was Edward that he did not attend?
As always when fearful things happened, Elizabeth felt ill. She added one or two questions, silly ones about jousts and dances, as if that was all that mattered. “When does the archery tournament begin?” she asked.
“In about an hour, once Stanborough has arrived.”
“Alas, I cannot tarry. But I will pray for your victory now and plan to attend next year,” she said, taking off for home as soon as she could. Walking calmed her and she needed calming right now.
As soon as Elizabeth and her entourage were far enough away not to be overheard, bedlam
broke out. “What the devil is Northumberland doing?” Catherine asked.
“He’s up to no good, marrying a son into the line of succession,” Blanche said.
Elizabeth snorted. “And two more matches besides.”
Only Parliament could change the succession, and they had not been called. This was likely Northumberland seeking to protect himself in case Edward worsened. But why exclude Elizabeth? Something felt off.
Book Details
ISBN: 978 1735491189
Publisher: Janet Wertman
Formats: e-books, hardback and paperback
No. of Pages: 376
Purchase Links
Amazon UK
Amazon US
About the Author
By day, Janet Wertman is a freelance grantwriter for impactful nonprofits. By night, she writes critically acclaimed, character-driven historical fiction – indulging a passion for the Tudor era she had harbored since she was eight years old and her parents let her stay up late to watch The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Elizabeth R.
Her Seymour Saga trilogy (Jane the Quene, The Path to Somerset, The Boy King) took her deep into one of the era’s central families – and now her follow-up Regina series explores Elizabeth’s journey from bastard to icon.
Janet also runs a blog (www.janetwertman.com) where she posts interesting takes on the Tudors and what it’s like to write about them.
You can also find Janet at:
Instagram
Bluesky
Pinterest
(media courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)
(all opinions are my own)
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