The Traitor's Wife (103 page)

“He is two-and-thirty.”

“Two-and-thirty! William, that's far too old for a girl of thirteen.”

“Bess will mature soon. And Badlesmere was in his twenties himself, Katharine.”

Behind the curtains, Bess gasped, covering her mouth just in time.
She
was to marry Hugh le Despenser?

Soon afterward, Bess's parents had left the room, and she had made her way back to the chamber she shared with Joan of Kent and her sisters just in time to be told that her father and mother wished to speak to her. She had been summoned to her mother's chamber, where Bess's parents had broken the news to her gradually, so much so that Bess, who had been worried lest she give away the fact she had been eavesdropping, had been almost lulled into believing she had misunderstood. So distressed had she been when she realized that she had heard them correctly that she had not had to feign shock. “I don't wish to marry him. I do not like him.”

“Like him, Bess? You've never met him.” Her father smiled tolerantly.

“I could not like a man from such a horrid family.”

She had expected more help on this score from her mother, but Katharine, whatever her opinions might be in private, was a woman to stand publicly with her husband. “It is not for you to refuse this match, Elizabeth. You will marry him. You are a widow, after all; it is most suitable that you remarry.”

“Why can't Joan marry him? Her father was beheaded too. They would have much more to talk about.”

William's lip twitched upward, but he still managed to say testily, “Hugh asked for your hand, not Joan's. In any case, he would have asked in vain, because we have decided that Joan will marry your brother Will, quite soon as a matter of fact.”

So now he can stare at her breasts all he likes
, Bess thought, then remembered the matter at hand. “I don't
want
to marry him, Papa.” She looked up into her father's face and gazed at him sadly with her large brown eyes, a trick that up to now had never missed with her father, though Bess to her credit had used it sparingly. “Please don't make me.”

“I must, child. I cannot have you dictating to me whom you shall marry. I would not marry you to a man I did not esteem; you should know that. His father did disgrace his family's name, but Sir Hugh has done much to restore it. I will allow you to sit with us when he comes to visit tomorrow or the next day. You will see for yourself that he will make a good husband for you, and you will get a chance to come to know him.”

“And Hugh is a rich man,” added Katharine. “You will be Lady of Glamorgan, and have many castles, you know. It won't be bad, I promise.”

Nor, thought Bess, had she promised that it would be good.

I
N RESEARCHING THIS NOVEL, I WAS FORTUNATE TO HAVE ACCESS, AS A MEMBER of the public, to the libraries at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Without its facilities I would have been greatly hampered in my ability to complete this novel. I also benefited from the use of the Wake County public library system, the Duke University library, and the North Carolina State University library. I thank these institutions, and in the appropriate cases the taxpayers of North Carolina, for making these invaluable resources available.

I found two online resources extremely useful. Through reading the postings at Gen-Medieval-L, I obtained valuable information about the genealogy of the Clare and Despenser families, including new findings. Many of these findings are mentioned at www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk. I would like in particular to thank Brad Verity, a poster on Gen-Medieval-L, who shared his findings about Eleanor de Clare's children both with the group as a whole and with me personally. Any errors, genealogical and otherwise, that I have stumbled into are, of course, my own.

It was a pleasure to work with Sara Kase, assistant editor at Sourcebooks, in preparing the 2009 edition of
The Traitor's Wife
.

My most heartfelt thanks goes to my family. My parents, Charles and Barbara Higginbotham, have encouraged me and aided me in every way possible. My husband, Don Coomes, has encouraged me, humored me, and put up patiently with my Mrs. Jellyby–like abstraction. I can think of no luckier wife than myself. Finally, my children, Thad and Bethany, endured many tedious hours at the library, bore with my hogging the family computer, and have given me indescribable joy.

1. Throughout the novel, Hugh is a pirate, adulterer, and land thief, among other morally questionable things. Despite Hugh's wrongdoing, Eleanor remains loyal to Hugh to the very end. Is this admirable?
   
2. Elizabeth de Burgh scolds her sister Eleanor for her blindness to Hugh's misdeeds. Do you think Eleanor on some level chooses to ignore her husband's darker actions? If so, does she do so consciously or subconsciously?
   
3. Roger Mortimer is executed for his part in the events of 1326 to 1330, but Isabella undergoes only a brief house arrest. Do you believe that she gets off too easily? Who do you think was more to blame—Mortimer or Isabella? Would Isabella have rebelled if Mortimer had not been there?
   
4. King Edward II has many admirable qualities, but proves unfit for the demands of kingship. What qualities do you think make a good ruler? Do you think Edward II might have been more successful in a later century?
   
5. Even as Edward carries on an affair with Hugh, Isabella is faithful to her husband for years before she finally commits adultery with Roger Mortimer. Is her adultery justified? Do you feel that she as a woman is subjected to a “double standard"? Would you have been able to—or wanted to—remain faithful?
   
6. In October 1326, Queen Isabella, Roger Mortimer, and their forces invaded London. Is this invasion morally justified? Do you think Hugh really endangered the safety of England?
   
7. What did Edward do to make Isabella believe that he deserved to lose his throne? Was she right?
   
8. The men of this tale have their faults but they also have redeeming qualities. Gaveston commanded too much of the King's attention; Hugh did the same, accumulating lands and money all the while; Edward let his affections come before his kingly duties; Mortimer invaded a country. In the midst of all these misdeeds, we also see that Gaveston and Hugh really love the king, Hugh is a wonderful father and husband, Edward only wants the best for those around him, and Mortimer is a man with ambition. In the end, none of them lives. Is Hugh's death a tragedy? Gaveston's? Edward's? Mortimer's?
   
9. As is common for the time period, many of the marriages in
   The Traitor's Wife
   are arranged. While some of these are unhappy, others turn out quite well. What qualities characterize the happy arranged marriages and which ones characterize the unhappy ones? Do these spouses have to work harder at their marriages than those who marry for love?
   
10. Eleanor has moments of great strength as well as moments of great weakness. Do you consider Eleanor to be a strong heroine? What qualities make for such a heroine?
    
11. Gaveston and Hugh the younger, both very different men, are both lovers of Edward II. How do their relationships with him differ? How are they similar? Do you think that people can be romantically compatible with different personalities, or is each individual compatible with only one type of personality?
    
12. Hugh the elder knew Hugh the younger was going down a questionable path. Should he have done more to rein in his son? Could he have done anything? Was he a good father?
    
13. Executions in medieval England, like the horrific one of Hugh the younger, were well-attended public spectacles. Did this shock you? Could you see yourself attending such an event? How does the desire for public display translate to modern times?
    
14. Edward III is a young boy when his mother Isabella and Roger Mortimer begin scheming against his father. As a child, would you have stayed with your mother? Would you have gone to your father? Does Edward III bear any responsibility for his father's death?
    
15. Eleanor agrees to become Isabella's “housekeeper” although she knows she is only appointed to this position to keep an eye on the queen. Should Eleanor have agreed to become Isabella's “housekeeper"? How did it affect future events?
    
16. Eleanor reacts to the news that Hugh has become Edward's lover by seducing Edward herself. How did you feel in light of the fact that Edward is Eleanor's uncle? Do you agree with Eleanor and Hugh's later forgiveness of each other?
    
17. Eleanor, Isabella, and Philippa, among others, marry and cohabit with their husbands while they are still in their early teens. Edward III, after Mortimer's arrest, takes on the full responsibilities of kingship when he is not quite eighteen. How do medieval attitudes toward adolescence differ from our modern ones? Do you believe that modern teens could take on the responsibilities that their medieval counterparts did?
    
18. Forced to take the veil as a result of events that transpired when she was a mere infant, Sister Gwenllian takes a resigned, philosophical view of her fate. How do you feel about her attitude? Could you adopt such a positive attitude in similar circumstances?
    
19. How did your opinion of Isabella change throughout the novel? Were you sympathetic toward her at first? Did you ever lose that sympathy? If so, did your sympathy return at the end, when she is defeated and living out her life in a more or less solitary condition?
    
20. While a prisoner in the Tower, Eleanor steals jewels that were confiscated by Isabella and Mortimer from the Despenser family's property. Would you consider her theft a crime?
    
21. Hugh becomes Edward's lover partly to gain power. Women have often traded sexual favors to get ahead; how did you feel about seeing a man doing the same? Do you think it's a legitimate way to make gains? Do you feel differently about women rather than men using their bodies to gain power?