Four Sisters, All Queens Read online

  FEATURING A GALLERY READERS GROUP GUIDE

  “Engrossing and vividly rendered . . . a mesmerizing tableau of what it meant to be a queen.”

  —C. W. Gortner, author of The Confessions of Catherine de Medici

  RICH IN INTRIGUE AND SCHEMING, LOVE AND LUST, SHERRY JONES’S VIBRANT HISTORICAL NOVEL FOLLOWS FOUR WOMEN DESTINED TO SWAY THE FATE OF NATIONS AND THE HEARTS OF KINGS.…

  Amid the lush valleys and fragrant wildflowers of Provence, Marguerite, Eléonore, Sanchia, and Beatrice have learned to charm, hunt, dance, and debate under the careful tutelage of their ambitious mother—and to abide by the countess’s motto: “Family comes first.”

  With Provence under constant attack, their legacy and safety depend upon powerful alliances. Marguerite’s illustrious match with the young King Louis IX makes her Queen of France. Soon Eléonore—independent and daring—is betrothed to Henry III of England. In turn, shy, devout Sanchia and tempestuous Beatrice wed noblemen who will also make them queens.

  Yet a crown is no guarantee of protection. Enemies are everywhere, from Marguerite’s duplicitous mother-in-law to vengeful lovers and land-hungry barons. Then there are the dangers that come from within, as loyalty succumbs to bitter sibling rivalry, and sister is pitted against sister for the prize each believes is rightfully hers—Provence itself.

  From the treacherous courts of France and England, to the bloody tumult of the Crusades, Sherry Jones traces the extraordinary true story of four fascinating sisters whose passions, conquests, and progeny shaped the course of history.

  “Jones’s fictionalized history comes alive with delicate, determined prose.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Sword of Medina

  MARIAH JONES BROOKS

  SHERRY JONES is also the author of The Jewel of Medina, her controversial debut turned international bestseller, and The Sword of Medina, her critically acclaimed follow-up. She lives in Spokane, Washington. Visit her online at authorsherryjones.com.

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  COVER DESIGN BY LAYWAN KWAN • COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY RICHARD JENKINS PHOTOGRAPHY

  Praise for

  Four Sisters, All Queens

  “In Four Sisters, All Queens, Sherry Jones tells an extraordinary story of four extraordinary women, all with royal destinies. In elegant but lively prose, she brings their triumphs and struggles to life.”

  —Susan Higginbotham, author of Her Highness, the Traitor

  “The power of these four sisters, these intriguing women, commands every page as does Sherry Jones’s exquisite and well-crafted narrative. Their particular experiences, so finely conveyed, offers a distinct glimpse into the full landscape of thirteenth-century Europe and the influence of its women.”

  —Donna Russo Morin, author of The King’s Agent

  “Sherry Jones brings medieval Europe to life through the extraordinary destinies of the ‘ladies of Provence.’ Queens, sisters, rivals . . . What a tale!”

  —Catherine Delors, author of Mistress of the Revolution and For the King

  “Sherry Jones bursts onto the medieval scene with this enthralling tale of four royal sisters vying for power. Engrossing and vividly rendered, the intrigue and splendor of thirteenth-century Europe are brought to life through the voices of these disparate women, each destined to take the throne and find herself in a dangerous struggle for dominance against her own kin. Family politics, forbidden passion, and heartbreaking sacrifice create a mesmerizing tableau of what it meant to be a queen.”

  —C. W. Gortner, author of The Confessions of Catherine de Medici, The Tudor Secret, and The Last Queen

  “Four Sisters, All Queens draws the reader into the intrigue and drama of the courts of thirteenth-century Europe, delightfully evoking the rich details and vivid personalities of a fascinating era. A feast for fans of historical fiction!”

  —Gillian Bagwell, author of The Darling Strumpet and The September Queen

  “A lively, entertaining tableau that evokes the complexities of court life in thirteenth-century Provence, France, and England as seen through the eyes of four remarkable women.”

  —Mitchell Kaplan, author of By Fire, By Water

  “Many say that Richard of Cornwall, and not Henry, is best suited to rule England,” Uncle says. “From what I have heard, Richard agrees.”

  “That is treason! I would be more inclined to behead him than to befriend him.”

  “He could make life difficult for the king.”

  “Siblings fight.” Eléonore shrugs. “What can one do about that?”

  “You used to quarrel a bit with your sisters, as I recall. Especially Margi. You, of all people, ought to know how to smooth the ruffled feathers of rivalry.”

  Across the room, Richard has seen her looking at him. Holding his gaze, she gestures for her handmaid and gives her instructions. Then, with a lift of her skirts, she turns to leave the great hall.

  “Where are you going, child?”

  “To my chambers. I have summoned Richard of Cornwall, and now he must come to me. Such is the power of a queen.”

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2012 by Sherry Jones

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

  First Gallery Books trade paperback edition May 2012

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  Designed by Leydiana Rodríguez-Ovalles

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Jones, Sherry, 1961–

  Four sisters, all queens / Sherry Jones. — 1st Gallery Books trade paperback ed.

  p. cm.

  1. Marguerite, Queen, consort of Louis IX, King of France, 1221–1295—Fiction. 2. Eléonore, of Provence, Queen, consort of Henry III, King of England, 1223 or 4–1291—Fiction. 3. Beatrice, of Provence, Queen of Sicily, consort of Charles I, King of Naples, 1234–1267. 4. Sanchia, of Provence, Queen, consort of Richard, King of the Romans, 1225–1261—Fiction. 5. Europe—History—476–1492—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3610.O6285F68 2012

  813'.6—dc23 2011044484

  ISBN 978-1-4516-3324-5

  ISBN 978-1-4516-3325-2 (ebook)

  For Natasha Kern:

  literary agent, champion, inspiration, friend

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1: Four Sisters, All Queens

  Chapter 2: The Light of Destiny

  Chapter 3: Country B
umpkin

  Chapter 4: A Perfect and Holy Union

  Chapter 5: The Weight of Rule

  Chapter 6: A Fickle King

  Chapter 7: Ruffled Feathers

  Chapter 8: A Woman’s Heart

  Chapter 9: Endless Songs of Love

  Chapter 10: The Taste of Treachery

  Chapter 11: Immaculate Conception

  Chapter 12: Scandal and Mutiny

  Chapter 13: A New Jerusalem

  Chapter 14: The Curse of Beauty

  Chapter 15: Sacrificial Lambs

  Chapter 16: The Company of Young Girls

  Chapter 17: The Jaws of Death

  Chapter 18: The Storm and Its Omens

  Chapter 19: A Piece of Ripe Fruit

  Chapter 20: Gascony Is Edward’s

  Chapter 21: Sister to the Queen

  Chapter 22: A Pretty Alliance

  Chapter 23: My Provence

  Chapter 24: A Woman May Rule

  Chapter 25: The Holiest Man in the Kingdom

  Chapter 26: The Rules of the Game

  Chapter 27: A Countess to Make Me Proud

  Chapter 28: Against the Winds

  Chapter 29: Real Sisters

  Chapter 30: Liars and Traitors

  Chapter 31: The Time of Sorrow

  Chapter 32: Bumps in the Night

  Chapter 33: The Magnificent Queen

  Chapter 34: A Slow Breeze

  Chapter 35: The Heart of the Lion

  Chapter 36: Pearls in the Same Oyster

  Chapter 37: Blood Ritual

  Chapter 38: Family Comes First

  Chapter 39: The Cold German Sun

  Chapter 40: A Parliament Gone Mad

  Chapter 41: A Woman’s Grasp

  Chapter 42: The Opposite of Love

  Chapter 43: A Woman’s Heart

  Chapter 44: The Same Tune

  Chapter 45: A Lost Cause

  Chapter 46: A Queen at Last

  Chapter 47: Never the Enemy

  Chapter 48: Family Comes First

  Chapter 49: The Flavor of Peaches

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 50: Readers Group Guide

  Breathing do I draw that air to me

  Which I feel coming from Provença

  All that is thence so pleasureth me

  That whenever I hear good speech of it

  I listen a-laughing and straightaway

  Demand for each word an hundred more,

  So fair to me is the hearing.

  —Peire Vidal, 1175–1205 from “The Song of Breath” (as translated by Ezra Pound)

  Map by Paul J. Pugliese

  THE COURT IN FRANCE

  Marguerite de Provence, Queen Consort of France

  Louis IX, King of France

  Blanche, Isabelle, Louis, Philip, Jean Tristan, Peter, Blanche, Marguerite, Robert, Agnes, their children

  Blanche de Castille, Queen Dowager of France

  Isambour of Denmark, (formerly Ingeborg) Queen Dowager of France, widow of King Philip Augustus

  Robert, Louis’s brother

  Matilda, Robert’s wife

  Alphonse, Louis’s brother

  Jeanne de Toulouse, Alphonse’s wife

  Isabelle, Louis’s sister

  Charles, Louis’s brother

  Gisele, Marguerite’s handmaid

  Thibaut, Count of Champagne and King of Navarre, Blanche’s cousin

  Jean de Joinville, Thibaut’s seneschal, Louis’s favorite, and Marguerite’s closest friend

  Geoffrey of Beaulieu, Louis’s confessor

  Bartolomeu le Roie, Louis’s chamberlain

  Raimond of Toulouse, Count of Toulouse and Blanche’s cousin

  Pierre Mauclerc, Count of Brittany, a leader of a thwarted rebellion against Louis

  Hugh of Lusignan, Count of La Marche and Angoulême, husband of Queen Isabella of Angoulême, mother of King Henry III and leader, with Pierre of Brittany, of an attempt to overthrow King Louis

  Isabella of Angoulême, King Henry III’s mother, former Queen of England, now Countess of La Marche and Angoulême

  St. Pol, Guy II of Châtillon, the Count of St. Pol and a fearsome knight

  THE COURT IN ENGLAND

  Eléonore of Provence, Queen Consort of England

  Henry III, King of England

  Edward, Margaret, Beatrice, Edmund, Katharine, their children

  Guillaume of Savoy, Eléonore’s uncle, bishop of Valence, prince-bishop of Liège

  Thomas of Savoy, Eléonore’s uncle, Count of Flanders

  Peter of Savoy, Eléonore’s uncle, Earl of Richmond, later Count of Savoy

  Boniface of Savoy, archbishop of Canterbury

  Eleanor Marshal, Henry’s sister, Countess of Leicester

  Simon de Montfort, Count of Leicester, Henry’s seneschal, Eleanor Marshal’s husband

  Richard of Cornwall, Henry’s brother, Earl of Cornwall

  Margaret Biset, Eléonore’s handmaid

  Gilbert Marshal, Earl of Pembroke

  Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent, justiciar of England and Ireland

  Roger de Quincy, Earl of Winchester

  Roger Mortimer, baron and ally to King Henry III

  Dame Maud of Mortimer

  Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester

  John Maunsell, chancellor

  Robert Walerand, chancellor

  Hamo Lestrange, Roger Mortimer, Roger Leybourne, Henry of Almain, Edward’s companions

  Ebulo Montibus, protégé of Peter of Savoy, Eléonore’s uncle, and companion to Edward

  THE COURT IN PROVENCE

  Beatrice of Savoy, Countess of Provence

  Ramon Berenger, Count of Provence

  Marguerite, Eléonore, Sanchia, Beatrice, their daughters

  Romeo de Villeneuve, the count’s seneschal (steward)

  Madeleine, the girls’ nursemaid

  Gaston, the falconer

  Sordel, a troubadour

  Beatrice of Provence, Countess of Provence

  Charles d’Anjou, Count of Provence

  THE COURT IN CORNWALL

  Sanchia of Provence, Queen of Germany, Countess of Cornwall

  Richard of Cornwall, King of Germany, Count of Cornwall

  Henry of Almain, Richard’s son and heir

  Edmund, Richard, Sanchia and Richard’s children

  Justine, Sanchia’s handmaid

  Mr. Arnold, Richard’s seneschal

  Abraham of Berkhamsted, collector of the Jewish tax

  Floria, Abraham’s wife

  Joan de Valletort, Baroness of Tremberton, Richard’s mistress

  I, BEATRICE OF SAVOY, am mother to four queens. What other woman in the history of the world could make this claim? None, I warrant, and none ever will.

  Yes, I am boasting. Why shouldn’t I? Do you think my daughters rose to such heights by happenstance? A woman achieves nothing in this man’s world without careful plotting. I began scheming for my girls before I even held my eldest, Marguerite, in my arms.

  Margi was no ordinary child. She spoke in sentences before her first birthday. But then, she is a Savoy, and we are no ordinary family. If we were, we would not have become guardians of the Alpine passes and rulers of an expanding domain, as well as friends of kings, emperors, and popes. How did we achieve such feats? Not by brutish battles and conquests, but with shrewd alliances and strategic marriages. My children, too, would marry well, I determined, and increase our family’s influence as never before.

  Here is how I fulfilled this vow: I raised my daughters as if they were sons.

  Oh ho! I see shock on your face. Are you surprised also, then, to learn that I called them “boys”? Having taken my schooling alongside five of my eight brothers—in philosophy, Latin, astronomy, mathematics, logic, diplomacy, debate, hunting, archery, even swordplay—I recognized this: knowledge is the key to power. Why do you think men reserve it for themselves, leaving only fluff and nonsense for girls? What good to a girl are needlework, curtseyi
ng, drawing pictures, and feigning interest while a man prattles on and on about himself? These endeavors—the essence of feminine schooling—serve only to enhance men, and to diminish women. Wanting success for my girls, I taught them as though they were boys, endowing them with true power—the kind that comes from within.

  When Margi was nearly of age, I enlisted my brothers to find a king for her to marry. Being Savoyards, we plotted. Amadeus, Guillaume, and Thomas praised her beauty, intelligence, and piety in courts near and far, and before every guest they entertained. Meanwhile, I charmed Sordel, the troubadour, to write a song in her honor, then paid him handsomely—with gold and, yes, kisses, but not the prize he preferred—to perform it before the French King Louis IX. Thusly captivated, the king sought Margi’s hand—and before long, my four daughters were queens of the world.

  I would have made them kings, if I could. Instead, I made them mothers of kings. It was the best I could do for them, and for the House of Savoy—for my family—now and in the future.