‘A fascinating tale with intriguing twists which kept me reading late into the night.’
Barbara Erskine
‘Atmospheric and compelling, I was gripped from beginning to end.’
Sarah Morgan
‘Nicola Cornick is the mistress of keeping you up way beyond lights out because you just can’t put it down. Brilliant!’
Katie Fforde
‘A gorgeous novel, so fresh and original. And the tension! I was on the edge of my seat.’
Jenny Ashcroft
‘With its intriguing premise and engaging characters, this fresh take on the time-slip novel completely won me over.’
Kate Riordan
‘A lively, entertaining read… the story kept me turning the pages right to the very end.’
Katherine Webb
‘I was hooked from the first pages… I can’t remember when I last read a book so fast, just to find out what happens next. A twisty and deceptively clever book… [with] a wonderfully satisfying conclusion.’
Gill Paul
‘A rising star.’
Publishers Weekly
‘A sumptuous, spell-binding story full of mystery, secrets, heartbreak and magic that will keep you guessing.’
Sara Manning, Red Online
NICOLA CORNICK is an international bestselling and award-winning novelist who has written over thirty historical novels in a career spanning twenty years. Her books sell in over twenty-five countries, have been translated into many languages and been published in multiple formats.
Nicola studied History at the University of London and at Ruskin College Oxford, and worked in academia for a number of years, before becoming a full-time author. She volunteers as a guide and researcher for the National Trust at the 17th century Ashdown House and gives talks and seminars on a number of historical and writing related topics. She has spoken at the London Book Fair and at literary festivals including Oxford and Sharjah. She is a former Wiltshire Libraries Writer in Residence and trustee of Wantage Literary Festival. In her spare time, she is a guide dog puppy walker.
The Woman in the Golden Dress
The Phantom Tree
House of Shadows
The Forgotten Sister
Nicola Cornick
ONE PLACE. MANY STORIES
An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2020
Copyright © Nicola Cornick 2020
Nicola Cornick asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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Ebook Edition © April 2020 ISBN: 9780008278502
Version 2020-04-12
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Page numbers taken from the following print edition: ISBN 9780008278496
This book is dedicated to my grandmother,
Doris Clark, whose shelf of Tudor-set
historical novels started me on my journey.
Present Day:
Lizzie Kingdom, b.1993
Annie Kingdom née Bowling, Lizzie’s late mother (1965–1998)
Harry Kingdom, Lizzie’s father, now living in California
Dudley Lester, Lizzie’s best friend, married Amelia Robsart in 2010, b.1992
Arthur Robsart, son of Terry Robsart and Layla El Ansari, b.1988
Amelia Robsart, daughter of Terry Robsart and Jessica Scott, b.1993
Anna Robsart, daughter of Terry Robsart and Jessica Scott, b.1997
Johnny Robsart, son of Terry Robsart and Jessica Scott, b.2003
Kat Ashley, Lizzie’s PA/godmother
Avery Basing, Lizzie’s grandmother’s oldest friend, b.1935
Bill Cecil, Lizzie’s agent
Juliet Carey, Lizzie’s cousin
Tudor Story:
Elizabeth Tudor, Queen Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn (7 September 1533–24 March 1603)
Edward Tudor, King Edward VI, son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour (12 October 1537–6 July 1553)
Mary Tudor, Queen Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, married to Philip II of Spain (18 February 1516–17 November 1558)
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester (24 June 1532–4 Sept 1588)
Amy Robsart, his wife (7 June 1532–6 Sept 1560)
Arthur Robsart, Amy’s half-brother (c.1523–1590)
Sir