Later, when King Henry is on the marriage market again, Katherine and Eliza are seen to be vying for his attentions, though our heroine is doing it out of duty to her father's wishes, who wouldn't have minded if she became only the king's mistress. Still, there is always a hint of rivalry between them, beginning when they are both attracted to the Duchess's music master and Katherine is the one whose interest is reciprocated. Eliza is the only child of the widowed Baron Stone and she lives in the crumbling Manor of Stoneton, knowing that she is the only one who can restore the family's fortunes by making a good marriage.Īfter a false start with a young nobleman, she is sent to her grandmother, the Duchess of Northumberland, at Trumpton Hall, where she meets a whole gaggle of young girls, including the 'boldest and buxomest' Katherine.Īt first there is no love lost between the cousins, but a grudging friendship forms when they go to serve Queen Anne. Katherine Howard by Hans Holbein the YoungerĮliza Rose is Katherine's cousin - surprisingly her other more famous cousin, Anne Boleyn is not mentioned - and she comes from the impoverished noble family of Camperdownes.

We do witness the brief marriage with Anne of Cleves, as both Katherine and Eliza Rose herself, the invented first person narrator, serve as the queen's ladies-in-waiting before she is set aside and becomes Henry's 'sister.' So it is Katherine Howard, the teenaged fifth wife of the now bloated king, who is at the centre of the novel and of a circle of young women brought up to a life at court. One of our Followers has already chosen the queen at the heart of historian Lucy Worsley's first novel for children, Eliza Rose: Katherine Howard. In our current competition, you can win a prize of Alison Weir's new book on Katherine of Aragon by choosing which of the six wives of Henry Vlll you'd like to meet and why.(Closing date 7th May).

Eliza rose