Royal Inheritance

In her latest of the Secrets of the Tudor Court series (after The King’s Damsel), Tudor aficionado Emerson suggests that Henry VIII fathered an out-of-wedlock daughter with one of the royal laundresses and privately arranged for her to be put in the care of his personal tailor, John Malte. Imagining the life story of Audrey Malte, an actual historical figure, the author reliably mixes court intrigue and the complicated politics of Henry’s life and multiple wives with the fascinating private journey of a young woman who gradually becomes aware of her royal heritage. Audrey’s life story is told to her only daughter, Hester, and this device works as the tale shifts back and forth between the “present” (1556) and the past, beginning in 1532 when Audrey first encounters the King and where her account takes off. The special treatment Audrey receives through the years—private tutors and court visits—raises suspicions among her siblings, and though all think John Malte is her real father and that she was his “merry-begot” (a bastard child), it is not until Audrey is a young woman that she comes to learn the identity of her true father. Emerson cleverly makes a good case for her royal connection, as well as for why the King did not officially recognize her. Adding punch is the love story between Audrey and John Harrington. Another satisfying, page-turning addition to Emerson’s series. (Sept. 24)