The Lady of the Rivers

Jacquetta, daughter of the Count of Luxembourg and kinswoman to half the royalty of Europe, was married to the great Englishman John, Duke of Bedford, uncle to Henry VI. Widowed at the age of nineteen she took the extraordinary risk of marrying a gentleman of her house-hold for love, and then carved out a life for herself as Queen Margaret of Anjou's close friend and a Lancaster supporter - until the day that her daughter Elizabeth Woodville fell in love and married the rival king Edward IV. Of all the little-known but important women of the period, her dramatic story is the most neglected. With her links to Melusina, and to the founder of the house of Luxembourg, together with her reputation for making magic, she is the most haunting of heroines.

Philippa Gregory was an established historian and writer when she discovered her interest in the Tudor period and wrote the internationally bestselling novel The Other Boleyn Girl. Now she is looking at the family that preceded the Tudors: the magnificent Plantaganets, a family of complex rivalries, loves, and hatreds. Her other great interest is the charity that she founded nearly twenty years ago: Gardens for The Gambia. She has raised funds and paid for 140 wells for the primary schools of this poor African country. A former student of Sussex university, and a PhD and Alumna of the Year 2009 of Edinburgh University, her love for history and commitment to historical accuracy are the hallmarks of her writing. She lives with her family on a small farm in Yorkshire. She welcomes visitors to her site

{\rtf1\fbidis\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0{\fonttbl{\f0\fnil\fcharset0 Arial;}{\f1\fswiss\fprq2\fcharset0 Arial;}{\f2\fswiss\fprq2\fcharset0 Calibri;}} {\colortbl ;\red255\green0\blue0;} \viewkind4\uc1\pard\ltrpar\lang2057\fs18 \i\f1\fs20 'This is a man's world, Jacquetta, and some women cannot march to the beat of a man's drum. Do you understand?' \par \cf1\i0 \par \cf0 1435. Rouen. Jacquetta Luxembourg is left a wealthy young widow when her husband, the Duke of Bedford, dies. Her only friend in the great household is Richard Woodville, the Duke's squire, and it is not long before the two become lovers and marry in secret. \par \par The Woodvilles return to England and to the Lancaster court, where Jacquetta becomes close friends with young King Henry VI's new queen. But Jacquetta can sense the growing threat from the people of England, and the danger of royal rivals. The king slides into a mysterious sleep; Margaret, his queen, turns to untrustworthy favourites for help; and Richard, Duke of York, threatens to overturn the whole kingdom for his rival dynasty, the House of York. \par \par Jacquetta fights for her king, her queen, and for her daughter Elizabeth Woodville, for whom she senses an extraordinary and unexpected future. A sweeping, powerful novel rich in passion and legend, \i The Lady of the Rivers \i0 tells the story of the real-life mother to the White Queen. \par \par \pard\ltrpar\sa200\f0\fs22 'Popular historical fiction at its finest, immaculately researched and superbly told' Kate Saunders, \i\f2 The Times \par \i0\f0 'Gregory evokes passion, murder, magic and mystery to bring the War of the Roses to life' \i Good Housekeeping \par \i0 'Jacquetta is a memorable addition to the author's portrait gallery of women who endeavoured to make history rather than merely become its victims'\i Sunday Times \par \pard\ltrpar\i0\fs18 \par }

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