The Cardinal's Court

Hampton Court, 1522. Two young men, both heirs to an earldom, both rivals, both already inflamed with jealousy. In the hothouse atmosphere of Cardinal Wolsey’s luxurious palace their hatred grows and comes to a climax on Shrove Tuesday, when Queen Katherine of Aragon brings her ladies-in-waiting to the palace. One of the ladies, Anne Boleyn, is to marry James Butler, son of the Earl of Ormond in Ireland, but appears more attracted to Harry Percy, son of the Earl of Northumberland. And when a member of the cardinal’s staff is found shot dead with an arrow, Percy is quick to give evidence that implicates Butler. With Percy’s testimony unexpectedly backed by Anne Boleyn, things start to look bleak for the young Irishman. Luckily, his father has sent a Brehon lawyer, Hugh Mac Egan, over from Ormond to draw up the marriage contract between the Butlers and the Boleyns. With many years’ experience in solving crimes, Mac Egan sets out to prove the innocence of his patron’s son and heir, and to find the real killer.

Cora Harrison is the author of the acclaimed Burren Mysteries, which include My Lady Judge, and numerous children’s books, including I Was Jane Austen’s Best Friend.