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One of the greatest mysteries of medieval England is “what happened to the princes in the Tower?” – the young sons of Edward IV who were last seen in the Tower of London during the reign of their uncle, Richard III. Although there are many who believe the boys were killed by anyone of a handful of people, there are some who think it’s possible that the younger prince, Richard, Duke of York, escaped and turned up a few years later to claim his crown from Henry (Tudor) VII.


That a golden hair young man claimed to be a lost prince is not necessarily a surprise; what is rather incredible is that so many people, including heads of state and the boys aunt, believed that the young man, also known as Perkin Warbeck, was the missing Duke of York. It is a fascinating story and one that has been touched on in one way or another by several historical novels over the years. In Pale Rose of England, Sandra Worth takes the story in a slightly different direction, focusing on his wife, Lady Catherine Gordon. (For clarity’s sake, I will refer to the young man as “Richard” since that is how he is known in the book).

A member of the Scottish nobility/royalty, Catherine Gordon was considered a great beauty in her day and it appears that marriage between her and Richard may have been a love match. Worth takes that and runs with it, creating a story that focuses on the pairs love for each other as they try and muddle through some especially difficult and challenging times. Of course not everyone believes Richard is who he says he is, but he gets enough encouragement to lead an invasion of England. It goes badly and Richard and Catherine are both eventually captured and made guests of Tudor hospitality, although Catherine gets the better deal as she is made one of the Queen’s ladies.

To make matters worse, King Henry is smitten with Catherine and tries to convince her to divorce her pretender husband (what he planned to do about his wife isn’t clear…), but she repeatedly refuses. Much of the book relates Richard and Catherine's separate lives at Henry’s court and the increasingly rare times they are allowed to see each other. The last third or so covers Catherine’s life following Richard’s execution for treason.

Pale Rose of England is heavy on the romance – not in the bodice ripping-heavy- breathing-quick-romp-in-the-hay kind of way – but on the tender words of love whispered in the dark and in stolen moments in corners. As such, it makes for a sweet romantic story as Catherine “stands by her man”, but at times, it’s a little too much. Even though there is not much known about Catherine (beyond a few basic facts), I enjoyed the personality and life Worth creates for her as it’s woven through that of Richard’s. Henry VII isn't a very nice man and takes a sadistic pleasure in the ultimate torture and humiliation he is able to inflict upon his rival.  It is only when his wife dies that he expresses some regret (mostly for how he treated her).  After Henry's death, I read through the rest of it rather quickly as Catherine retires to the country and marries twice – one a scoundrel and the other her knight in shining armor - and the reader is told the historical background as the years fly by.

An extensive Author’s Note is included which sets out some of the arguments for and against Richard’s claim and explains some of the plot choices Worth made. A partial bibliography and a family tree are also included.

Who cares what people think?:  “I do not worry about what people think. For I have found they don’t do it very often.” Catherine in her later years to a young courtier.





In case the FTC asks: The publisher sent me a copy for review as part of the Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tour.