Copyright © 2019 Alison Weir

  The right of Alison Weir to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  First published in Great Britain in this Ebook edition in 2019 by

  HEADLINE REVIEW

  An imprint of HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP

  Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.

  All characters – apart from the obvious historical figures – in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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  eISBN: 978 1 4722 6303 2

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  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  About Alison Weir

  Also by Alison Weir

  Praise

  About The King’s Painter

  The King’s Painter

  Author’s Note

  Discover Anna of Kleve

  About Alison Weir

  Alison Weir is the top-selling female historian (and the fifth-bestselling historian overall) in the United Kingdom, and has sold over 2.7 million books worldwide. She has published eighteen history books, including her most recent non-fiction book, Queens of the Conquest, the first in her England’s Medieval Queens quartet. Alison has also published several historical novels, including Innocent Traitor and The Lady Elizabeth.

  Anna of Kleve: Queen of Secrets is Alison Weir’s ninth published novel and the fourth in the Six Tudor Queens series about the wives of Henry VIII, which was launched in 2016 to great critical acclaim. All four of the books in the series have been Sunday Times bestsellers.

  Alison is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an honorary life patron of Historic Royal Palaces.

  Also by Alison Weir

  The Six Tudor Queens series

  Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen

  Anne Boleyn: A King’s Obsession

  Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen

  Anna of Kleve: Queen of Secrets

  Six Tudor Queens Digital Shorts

  Writing a New Story

  Arthur: Prince of the Roses

  The Blackened Heart

  The Tower is Full of Ghosts Today

  The Chateau of Briis: A Lesson in Love

  The Grandmother’s Tale

  The Unhappiest Lady in Christendom

  The Curse of the Hungerfords

  Fiction

  Innocent Traitor

  The Lady Elizabeth

  The Captive Queen

  A Dangerous Inheritance

  The Marriage Game

  Quick Reads

  Traitors of the Tower

  Non-fiction

  Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy

  The Six Wives of Henry VIII

  The Princes in the Tower

  Lancaster and York: The Wars of the Roses

  Children of England: The Heirs of King Henry VIII 1547–1558

  Elizabeth the Queen

  Eleanor of Aquitaine

  Henry VIII: King and Court

  Mary Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley

  Isabella: She-Wolf of France, Queen of England

  Katherine Swynford: The Story of John of Gaunt and His Scandalous Duchess

  The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn

  Mary Boleyn: ‘The Great and Infamous Whore’

  Elizabeth of York: The First Tudor Queen

  The Lost Tudor Princess

  Queens of the Conquest

  As co-author

  The Ring and the Crown: A History of Royal Weddings, 1066–2011

  A Tudor Christmas

  Praise

  ‘This six-book series looks likely to become a landmark in historical fiction’ The Times

  Praise for ANNA OF KLEVE: QUEEN OF SECRETS

  ‘In this vivid and beautifully crafted portrayal, Alison Weir transforms Henry VIII’s much-maligned fourth wife into a woman of passion, courage and mystery. Utterly gripping and endlessly surprising, this novel captivates from the first page to the last. It is like meeting Anna of Kleve for the very first time. A masterpiece’ Tracy Borman

  ‘A rounded, interesting portrait of the one who outlived the other wives’ The Times

  ‘It takes a writer of Weir’s skill to make us believe her fantasia on the established story. But more importantly, it takes a historian of Weir’s experience – her familiarity with the sources, and the period detail – to use this compelling fiction to cast a revealing fresh light on the real historical figure’ Sarah Gristwood

  ‘An outstanding novel, the most intriguing so far in Weir’s “Six Queens” series . . . Anna is a survivor . . . Weir tells her story with passion, a strong emotional pulse and an excellent knowledge base’ Historical Novel Review

  ‘The author is a master storyteller and creates a fascinating tale of love in all its guises’ Sun

  ‘Anna of Kleve comes alive on the page in surprising and mysterious ways that only an author of Weir’s superb finesse can achieve. I always thought Anna was the most clever of Henry’s discarded wives, but Weir has put quite a twist to her tale that I utterly buy into and applaud’ Susan Ronald

  Praise for JANE SEYMOUR: THE HAUNTED QUEEN

  ‘Vivid characters and a wonderful sense of time and place combine with the story of a gentle, kind heroine who I really cared about, the more so because she was so cruelly robbed of her life at the moment of her greatest happiness’ Barbara Erskine

  ‘Alison Weir gives a fresh take on Jane Seymour’s life . . . A brilliant and engaging read’ Good Housekeeping

  ‘This brilliant book is a bombshell! Jane Seymour the shy mouse type? Think again! . . . She is vibrant, determined and she sets the King’s court on fire . . . A magnificent novel’ Kate Williams

  ‘Gripping and utterly compelling . . . Henry VIII’s third and – allegedly – best-loved wife is brought vividly to life . . . Not to be missed’ Tracy Borman

  ‘Meticulous research is magically transformed into a riveting narrative which takes us into the places non-fiction history cannot reach. It’s what Alison Weir does better than anybody – and what historical fiction was created to do’ Sarah Gristwood

  Praise for ANNE BOLEYN: A KING’S OBSESSION

  ‘This is Anne Boleyn as you have never seen her before. I could not put it down’ Tracy Borman

  ‘An unforgettable portrait of the ambitious woman whose fate we know all too well, but whose true motivations may surprise you’ Telegraph

  ‘A triumph of fine detail . . . a complex depiction of an endlessly fascinating woman’ Elizabeth Fremantle

  ‘The story of Boleyn has been told many times, and from many angles, but this could be the best adaptation so far. A cracking read’ Lady

  ‘Detailed, immaculately researched and convincing’ The Times

  ‘Alison Weir’s wonderfully detailed novel offers a spellbinding solution to the mystery of Anne’s true nature . . . At once an enthralling read, and a real contribution to our sense of the sixteenth century’ Sarah Gristwood

  ‘Anne comes alive and leaps from the page, fascinating, enthralling, full blooded . . . A brilliant evocation of the period . . . Wonderful’ Kate Williams

  Praise for KATHERINE OF ARAGON: THE TRUE QUEEN

  ‘Well researched and engrossing’ Good Housekeeping

  ‘Weir is excellent on the little details that bring a world to life’ Guardian

  ‘Alison Weir brings Katherine of Aragon dazzlingly to life . . . A charismatic, indomitable and courageous heroine’ Tracy Borman

  ‘Yet again, Alison Weir has managed to intertwine profound historical knowledge with huge emotional intelligence, to compose a work that throws light on an endlessly fascinating historical figure. Yet her real gift in all of this is making it feel so fresh and alive’ Charles Spencer

  ‘Alison Weir is in command of her detail . . . her handling of Katherine’s misery and dignified response to her predicament is very touching’ Daily Mail

  ‘Weir’s undeniable strength is her immaculate description enabling the reader to be transported back to Tudor England’ Sun

  ‘A tender understanding of and genuine sympathy for this proud, much-loved and honourable Queen . . . I was gripped [from] start to finish’ Mavis Cheek

  About The King’s Painter

  The King’s Painter by bestselling historian Alison Weir is an e-short and companion piece to the captivating fourth novel in the Six Tudor Queens series, Anna of Kleve: Queen of Secrets.

  ‘There are certain matters that are better handled by ladies than by ministers or ambassadors’<
br />
  King Henry VIII is set to marry a woman he’s never met. Wary of rumours whispered by foreign envoys, he sends Susanna Gilman, royal painter and trusted friend, to Kleve to find out more about his chosen bride.

  Before long, Susanna is returning to England with the Princess Anna, assuring the King she is a suitable match. But the King is disappointed – Anna is not as beautiful as her portrait.

  Susanna is called upon once again to use her position as confidante to the new Queen to find out more about her past, and free the King from his marriage. But will she be able to put her blossoming friendship with Anna to one side to fulfil her duty to the King?

  Featuring the first chapter of Anna of Kleve: Queen of Secrets.

  1539

  A ray of October sun shone through the greenish glass in the mullioned window and illuminated the King’s face. Seated before him, sketching his familiar features, Susanna reflected on how he had put on weight and aged these past three years. She knew his face and form better than most, having taken his likeness several times in the past sixteen years. It grieved her to see the sagging of that noble profile, the heavy jowls, the wreck of his athletic body, which was now encased in fat.

  At first, she had been awestruck having the King as a sitter, but over the years she had relaxed into an easy, pleasant relationship with him. It went no further. The natural distance of monarch and subject lay between them, and he had never given any sign that he had found her homely Flemish features attractive. It was better that way. She did not need complications in her professional life.

  ‘Mistress Gilman, I want this miniature to be small, two inches in height at most,’ the King said.

  ‘Would your Grace like it on vellum or ivory?’ she asked.

  ‘Vellum,’ he told her. ‘I intend to have it mounted in a locket. Master Holbein is designing one.’ His painter, Master Holbein, was a genius – and so he ought to be, for her brother Lucas had tutored him.

  Susanna laid down her black chalk. ‘I have finished, Sir. Would you like to see it?’ She took the sketch over to his chair, hoping the drawing was not too overtly flattering. She could not have borne to paint the King with brutal realism. Art should be a beautiful thing; it should raise the spirits and please the senses.

  ‘Excellent, as usual,’ Henry said admiringly. ‘It will be a gift for my bride.’

  It was just three days since the announcement of his coming marriage to the Princess of Kleef, and the court was still talking about it. Susanna was pleased for him. He had grieved terribly for the loss of Queen Jane, two years ago.

  Susanna had been a gentlewoman to his last wife, and sincerely hoped she would not be required to take up the same post in the new Queen’s household. She had had to give up her art, and all it meant to her, for painters were artisans, equal in the minds of courtiers to merchants and master craftsmen, and it would not have done for a gentlewoman to the Queen to have earned her own living. She had been sorry for Jane Seymour’s death in childbed, but relieved to be able to return to the first of her great passions in life. It had offered a panacea for her own grief at the death of her husband earlier that year, and stopped her feeling cast adrift after being anchored to John Parker for twelve years.

  She had done well for herself, people said. John had been keeper of the Palace of Westminster, Yeoman of the King’s Crossbows, and Yeoman of the King’s Robes. Life had been good. She had divided her time between the court and her husband’s houses at Fulham and Kings Langley. He had even provided her with her own workshops, although she had continued to spend time in her father’s atelier at court, where there were always too many commissions to be filled, and an extra pair of gifted hands was greatly appreciated.

  The other great passion in her life was waiting downstairs for the King’s sitting to end. He was the other reason why she did not want to return to the arid life of a royal gentlewoman, constrained always to subsume her own desires in social conventions, and live vicariously through her mistress. She wanted to spend her free time with John Gilman.

  She had expected his Majesty to rise from his chair and leave, but, to her surprise, he stayed there, seeming unusually hesitant.

  ‘I can trust you, Mistress Gilman, can I not?’ he said at length.

  ‘Of course, Sir,’ she assured him, surprised.

  ‘And you are a married woman, so I can talk freely to you.’

  ‘Yes, Sir.’ She was wondering what this was all about.

  ‘There are certain matters that are better handled by ladies than by ministers or ambassadors,’ he said, his fair cheeks slightly flushed. ‘Sit down, I pray you.’

  Susanna sat on the stool, smoothing her paint-stained apron over her dove-grey skirts, completely baffled.

  ‘The Princess of Cleves looks charming in Holbein’s portrait,’ the King said, ‘and all the reports I have received praise her virtues and her demeanour. But I need to know more, to nourish love, if you take my meaning. I need to know who her friends are, and if . . .’ He paused, seeming to be struggling for words. ‘I have been told by my envoys that, some years ago, she was away from court for many months, suffering from a mysterious illness. I say mysterious because no one seems to know what it was, and I suspect it was some woman’s ailment. And if that was the case, I need to know if it had any effect on her ability to bear children. That is where you can help.’

  Susanna didn’t like the way this was going. ‘I, Sir?’

  ‘Yes. You speak her language; you can also teach her English, and about English customs. Doing that, you would spend hours together, of necessity; it would be easy to gain her confidence.’

  Susanna’s heart had sunk. ‘Does your Grace mean for me to do this when the Queen arrives in England?’

  The King shook his head. ‘No, Mistress Gilman. I want you to go to Cleves, be her mentor, and discover the things I need to know before I marry her.’

  Susanna could not hide her dismay. ‘Your Grace, I have been married but two weeks! I had not looked to leave my husband alone so soon.’ And I do not want to cross the sea again. She had never forgotten the violent tempest that had blown her and her family to England when she was nineteen.

  The King smiled at her. ‘He may go with you, for I think you will be there for some weeks,’ he said. ‘I will pay his passage and expenses, and forty pounds to equip yourself.’

  She gasped. It was more than she earned in three years. ‘Oh, your Grace! That is more than generous.’ All the while, she was screwing up her apron in her distress. She had no excuses left now.

  ‘It is a measure of my trust in you,’ the King said.

  When she and John got home to the house in Bride Lane, which John had rented because of its closeness to Fleet Street, where he traded as a vintner, Susanna had still said nothing about the King’s command, for she wanted to come to terms with it in her own time. She went through to the workshop to cut a disc of vellum and grind the colours she would need, so that she could begin work on King’s miniature after supper. For this particular portrait, she would use gold paint for the jewels on the King’s costume. The beauty would be in the detail.

  As she stood at the bench, John came up behind her, cupped her breasts in his hands and nuzzled her ear.

  ‘Come to bed, sweeting. This can wait!’

  As usual, she could not resist him. She had never known such sweetness in her first marriage bed. And, for John too, the love that had burgeoned between them was a heady balm. He too had lost a spouse and known grief. They had first encountered each other when he was delivering wine to Whitehall Palace and saved Susanna from falling over a barrel. Their eyes had met, and a bond was sealed. They were of an age, both thirty-six, both successful in their careers. Susanna’s first marriage had been childless, but she enjoyed being stepmother to John’s little girl as much as she enjoyed being the wife of a freeman of the City of London, with all the privileges that brought with it.

  Later, as John lay watching her dressing, she told him of the King’s command that they visit Kleef.

  ‘That’s excellent news!’ he declared. ‘It will be an opportunity for me to sample the wines they grow in that region. And we can make a holiday of it, together.’