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A sweeping saga of lust, conspiracy, and betrayal, The Innocent is a bold and gripping tale of forbidden love set in fifteenth-century England.
The year is 1450, a dangerous time in medieval Britain. Civil unrest is at its peak and the legitimacy of the royal family is suspect. Meanwhile, deep in the forest of western England, a baby is born. Powerful forces plot to kill both mother and child, but somehow the newborn girl survives. Her name is Anne.
Fifteen years later, England emerges into a fragile but hopeful new age, with the charismatic young King Edward IV on the throne. Anne, now a young peasant girl, joins the household of a wealthy London merchant. Her unusual beauty provokes jealousy, lust, and intrigue, but Anne has a special quality that saves her: a vast knowledge of herbs and healing. News of her extraordinary gift spreads, and she is called upon to save the ailing queen. Soon after, Anne is moved into the palace, where she finds her destiny with the man who will become the greatest love of her life — the king himself.
Chapter One
The gluttony of Shrovetide was forgotten in the privations of Lent as the ice on the river broke up. The Thames swelled with meltwater from the deep west as London stretched awake from the long cold sleep of winter; snowdrops were budding in the fields outside the walls and the people of the city were impatient for spring and Holy Week, for after that came May Day — and warmth!
Anne was too cold and too excited to be tired from her long journey. It was hard to remember the silent winter forest she had left — was it only six nights ago? — among the clamor and press of people contained within this gigantic mess of buildings.
At dawn on the seventh day she and Deborah walked over London Bridge, part of a noisy crowd eager to enter the city and transact their business. It was slow going as the two women tried to hold a place for themselves on the broken stone pavement of the bridge, hugging the walls beneath the overhanging houses and shops that jetted out above them; it was the only way to avoid being splashed by riders and carts from the roadway's sloppy combination of mud, animal urine, and dung.
Anne's senses were assaulted by the smell and the noise. She had never seen so many beggars before, with their pathetic rag-bound feet, their open sores and mutilated bodies — or been close enough to a strange man's mouth to smell rotting teeth as he called out to friends among the crowd. Anne was not frightened by disability for very few people escaped childhood without scars and injuries of some sort, but here every third person seemed malformed in some way. Deborah told her that many were veterans from the late wars at home and in France.
That puzzled Anne. "Does no one look after them? What about the king?" she asked.
Deborah's reply was swept away as yet another party of armed and mounted men cursed their way through the crush, forcing the people in the roadway to jump from the hooves or be trampled. Anne was astonished by their rudeness, the callous way the riders laid about the people with whips to clear space for their horses. Were ordinary people to be treated like animals, just because they looked poor?
Before today she never thought of herself as poor, yet when she looked at the Londoners, she saw that their own clothes, the city clothes that Deborah had made with so much careful love, were simple and drab compared to the rich jeweled velvets, the sumptuous furs and silks on the backs of so many men and women riding proudly into the city.
Where they lived in the forest coin money was rare. That didn't much matter because there was little to buy. You grew your own food, made your own cloth, sewed your own clothes, so there was nothing to be envious about in other people's lives. All had much the same. But London was a new world and Anne found herself covetous, for the first time in her life, of the pretty things others had.
Even worse than the way people behaved toward one another, however, was the reek of this place; the city smelled like a dung heap. The stench of animal excreta was compounded by the unseen fog of acrid human sweat trapped in winter's unwashed wool on the bodies all around them.
She, who was used to the clean smell of the forest, and the purity of untrampled snow, had to force herself to breathe — there was no escape. Breathe in and get used to it. And try not to notice that men she did not know looked at her boldly, their eyes roaming her body to see its shape under her mantle. One man even snatched back her hood to see her face. He laughed at her confusion — and her spirit — when she slapped his hand away.
After that Anne became terrified she would lose sight of Deborah, so like a child she held fast to a piece of her foster mother's cloak as the older woman patiently led her toward the farther end of the bridge up ahead.
On the bridge itself, the buildings were huddled so close together that the girl could not see the river below, but she heard it roaring around the great piers beneath her feet; heard the groaning of the ice as it was broken by the raging water. In that moment she was overwhelmed with fear.
What if the bridge, mighty as it was, should break under the weight of all the people and all the buildings and they were cast down into the roiling water below? As if in answer to her unspoken question, Deborah turned and looked at her, smiling confidently.
"It will take more than melt water to tear this old bridge down. Don't fear, small one. Another hour will see us there. Just walk as close to me as you can."
But the noise of the city was overwhelming too. It flowed around Anne with such intensity, she could feel it on her body like a physical buffet. She'd first heard it on the previous day, even before they'd reached the walls of the city and the Convent of the Poor Clares where they had spent the night in the strangers' dorter. Then it was something muttering on the wind that came and went as they'd walked the muddy roads toward the city — a resonant buzzing hum unlike any sound the girl had heard before. Fancifully, as she had lain awake on the scratchy straw palliasse among the other women in the strangers' dorter, she'd thought it was the voice of some great beast that was never quite stilled, even in the darkest hours of the night. Then she had felt happy and excited to be going to the city.
Now as she followed Deborah across the bridge, and looked up to check the clouds to see what the day would bring, she saw only a small patch of sky above her head between the buildings, and was engulfed by a choking sadness.
For all of her nearly fifteen years Anne had lived among the trees of their forest, hers and Deborah's, but there'd always been the sky and the clouds above their little mud-and-wattle house.
In the warm weather when she sat on the thatch of the highest part of the roof, Anne could see the weather coming and she could see where the forest ended and the straggling village at the edge of their domain began. It had always been quiet in their clearing except for the wind and the calls of birds, or the cough of deer in the depths of the trees. But now the enormous voice of this foreign place was all around, in her head, hardly allowing her to think.
Now, very soon, she and Deborah would part, and she would be left alone here in this buzzing, booming, reeking people-hive.
And all because of last Samhain, the feast to celebrate the time when the gates between the worlds were open and winter began. As usual they had joined the villagers on the common land outside their little cluster of wattle-and-clay houses, and contributed to the feast with good black puddings from the pig they had raised through the last year and just slaughtered. It was blood month, the time when animals that would not be fed through the winter were killed, like their pig. And as the last of the summer beer had flowed, Deborah had pleased the villagers, though not their priest, by future-telling for all those who'd wanted her to. He was a good man, their priest, and tried hard to win his people from their dark, old ways, but he'd given up with Samhain. It had an ancient force, this long day of gluttony and drunkenness, a force stronger than any sermon he could preach to them. So, like a sensible pastor who had the long-term good of his people at heart, he joined them at the feast hoping, by his presence, to curb the wildest excesses.
It was common at Samhain, however, for prophecy to be given and heard with respect, and this time Anne had asked Deborah for a future-telling as well.
"You're too young. This is not a game, Anne. The priest will not like it, you know that." Deborah had taken the girl to one side, away from the long trestle board crowded with shouting, well-fed, happy people. The older woman's expression was severe, and that puzzled the girl.
"Why do you want the scrying?"
"Only to see if I may have a husband too. You seemed happy to tell the others..."
Deborah had turned away when she caught the priest's eye, his shake of the head. Now she looked back toward their home in the forest. It was as if she were listening for something, searching for something among the silent trees, something that was far, far away. Then she sighed deeply and nodded, being careful the priest did not see. "That is fair. Sit here."
Anne settled herself against the trunk of an oak, burrowing into the dry brown leaves of last autumn, while Deborah went to fetch her scrying bowl from the trestle board. There was a little warmth left in the fast-westering sun, and filled with good meat and good beer, the girl had begun to doze.
Deborah's voice had brought her back. "Here, child. Look into the water, tell me what you see..."
That startled the girl awake. "Me? Will you not do the scrying, Deborah?"
Her foster mother's voice was pitched low now, soothing, almost humming. "Look into the bowl, Anne....Concentrate. Just look into the water....What do you see? What is there for you..."
Perhaps it was the last of a dream still clogging her mind, perhaps it was the tone of Deborah's voice, but the girl felt warm and secure — a child about to drift away to dreams in a warm bed as storms raged outside on a winter's night...
"There is a face..."
"Describe what you see." Again Deborah's voice had that strange humming tone.
Anne hesitated then her face cleared in relief. "Look. There he is. I see him. I can't see his eyes, though...that's because of the battle helm. Oh!" The girl then sat up so quickly she knocked the salt-glazed pottery bowl out of her own hands and the water spilled all over her dress. "Blood! Blood everywhere!"
Her scream had cut through the buzz of the feast; the villagers fell silent, staring at the two women under the great oak. Deborah waved cheerfully. "Too much good ale! And a young head!" she had called, and laughter washed away the moment — uneasy though it was. Everyone knew Samhain was an uncanny time.
Defiantly Deborah had locked glances with the priest as she'd helped Anne to her feet.
"Do not worry, Father, she's only tired. It's been a long feast."
From that moment things had changed.
Later, Deborah told the girl that with the spring it would be time for her to go to London and into service with a pious household. There she could complete the education that had been begun in the forest, for Deborah had no more to teach Anne in their small, safe world. The girl had cried herself to sleep for many nights, but Deborah was implacable, though it broke both their hearts. And so now, miserably, weighted with a sense of the abandonment to come, the girl followed her foster mother deeper and deeper into the city until they stood before the closed door of a great, dark house.
Copyright © 2002 by Posie Graeme-Evans
Anonymous
Posted March 7, 2007
I found this book to be vulgar and lewd. The story was interesting, but the sexual aspect of the book was overplayed. It was oddly written, with awkward sentences and phrasing. Authors should copy Kipling in reading out their sentences as they write them, thereby improving the flow of the book. I didn't choose to finish it... So many books, so little time. This one just isn't worth it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 25, 2011
I picked up Vol. 2 & 3 at a thrift shop, so, of course, I had to get Vol. 1. I love 15th & 16th Century historical fiction, so 'The Innocent' fit that bill perfectly!
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Posted November 11, 2009
This book may not be the most historical of fiction but it truly pulls the reader in to the environment of those times. A wonderful vacation read!
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Posted July 22, 2009
The first part was intense I was definitely sitting on the edge of my seat but that's not enough because everything else was ridiculous. The king is a self-centered baby and all the action was ripped out abruptly. It basically sucked and I was so hoping for so much more. It was a good idea that took a bad turn.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.After many years of delving into Tudor history, I've recently been exploring the years during the Wars of the Roses. I find the advent to the Throne of the House of York quite fascinating. These were tumultous years, when indeed a "nobody" whose only claim to the throne came from a tenuous, illegitimate Plantagenet connection, could found a dynasty and become grandsire to one of Britain's greatest monarchs.
Unfortunately, we are all aware that it has recently become the fashion to use this fascinating history as mere backdrop for blazing bodice-rippers which have a closer connection to "Sweet Savage Love" than to anything written by Alison Weir. Without the psychological verisimilitude of SSL, that is.
If you wish to read an exciting, titillating book in which a young woman finds love at first sight and discovers a secret which gives her the power to challenge kings as their equal, you may enjoy this book. Although I found the "love" scenes debasing and repugnant - even the "transformational" one, which made absolutely no sense in terms of where the characters and plot were going.
***SPOILERS NOW***
In my opinion, the main premise of this book, which is that a young woman finds "true love" with Edward IV (and this deep understanding of each other comes from a few soulful glances while she serves his wife) but must give up this love because the secret of her birth has been exposed. The secret? That she is the "love-child" of Henry VI and one of his wife's waiting women.
(During this period of the Wars of the Roses, there were two anointed Kings who battled for the throne: Henry VI who lost the throne and Edward IV who was the son of the Duke of York and who won the crown in battle.)
Graeme-Evans reveals this secret to us as a deus ex machina so that Anne (her protagonist)will be forced to deny her love with Edward and go into exile. Why must she go into exile, you wonder? After all, not only is she illegitimate and a woman, but even the proofs she has as to her identity and birth are flimsy and basically depend upon the word of two women, one lowborn.
Well, according to Graeme-Evans, this dubious ancestry puts her teenage protagonist on a par with Edward IV and any other ruling monarch! As soon as Anne and her cohorts become aware of her birth, an aura of regal bearing envelops this callow girl so that she is endowed with the inborn power to make Dukes cower and a reigning, anointed king to view her as his equal. So much his equal, that in order for him to keep his throne, her existence is a threat which must be diminished one way or another.
Now isn't it funny that a few short years later the children of Edward IV and Elizabeth Wydville are disqualified from ruling because his pre-contract with Eleanor Butler taints them with illegitimacy? It was very common for kings to keep their illegitimate children within the family structure, ennobling them and ensuring their futures; while these children were never seen as serious heirs to the throne.
And the British were very opposed to the idea of a Queen Regnant. They had had some unpleasant experiences with Queen Isabella and Queen Marguerite (Henry VIs wife), thank you very much.
In addition to this, in order to gain the throne, it was basically necessary to raise an army and champion them to victory. NOT skills taught to a young girl raised in a forest by a "wise woman."
Anonymous
Posted January 21, 2008
One of the most 'readable' historical fiction novels I've found - definitely on a par with Phillipa Gregory. Can't wait to read the next two in this series, and am looking forward to much, much more from Ms. Graeme-Evans.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 10, 2007
This a great piece of Historical fiction. It kept me on the edge of my seat for most of the book. It was defiantly worth reading. I can't wait to read the rest of the books in this trilogy.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 29, 2007
Full of mystery, drama, and romance. It's wonderful. I couldn't stop reading it! I highly recommend this book.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 18, 2006
You will feel every emotion felt by each of the characters in this extraordinary tale. I can't wait to pick up The Exile. To the Author: Bravo.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 23, 2006
This was the best book I've read in a while. The love story is just great and the fact that you're actually learning something is crazy!It's not a cheesy romance that makes you think 'yeah right.'
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 10, 2006
This is basically a pauper-to-princess story, which in the hands of a lesser writer might be just another bodice-ripper. Instead, this is a feast for any lover of historical fiction. Ms. Graeme-Evans has a special affinity for fifteenth-century England, as the period details are excellent and clearly well-researched, particularly in respect to domestic life and the medicinal use of herbs. Her narrative style is straightforward and well-paced, so that I was completely absorbed in the story from the first page. I look forward to reading the next installment in the tale of the beautiful and resourceful Anne.
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Posted January 21, 2006
Set in England in the 1450s, Ms. Graeme-Evans paints a picture of Pre-Tudor England, that allows the reader to walk alongside each character. She invokes each scene, so beautifully, with the sights, sounds, fashions and, yes, even smells, of the times. Tudor history is my ultimate passion, as is the Renaissance, but while I thought I was being handed a book of the same title by another author, it was not until arriving home with this book instead, that I thought it might be nice to step a bit further back in time, by 35 years, and get to know this whole slew of characters. I was so bowled over, I literally could not put this book dowm, and didn't realize this was the first of a trilogy, until the last page. Thank goodness, because there is no way this story could have come to a resolve any sooner, and I am so excited to start the second of the three. Ms. Graeme-Evans worked in the entertainment industry in Australia for 25 years, before making this, her first attempt at writing. Knowing what keeps an audience interested from beginning to end, certainly has carried through in her writing, spectacularly! From page one, you will be gripped. Romance, mystery, intrigue, devotion, betrayal- it's all here. You won't be disapointed!
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Posted January 15, 2006
The Innocent is a rather good story about a young woman in charge of her own destiny, and the novel follows her through what is undeniably a fascinating era of history. However I did find it to be a bit slow and devoid of any unique writing style. It dragged on, and I was compelled to finish it quickly so I could at least know what became of the character and get it over with. Its sequel, The Exiled, was not much different than the first.
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Posted August 16, 2005
This book was the best historical fiction book i have ever read, because it just didnt relay the history of some king or queen's reign but because it had a whole seperate subplot that just doesnt surround history. There actually is a mystery and a wonderfully exciting storyline. I loved this book so much i went out and got the next book in the trilogy, The Exiled, the next night and now i cannot wait until the third comes out. You will not be dissapointed with this book. It was truly enchanting.
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Posted July 23, 2005
I have always been a lover of historical fiction, and this one just swept me away. Thist story made the reader felt the emotions of the characters. It was strong, gripping and wouldn't let you put it down until it's finished leaving you longing for more.
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Posted August 3, 2004
I really liked this book, because even though the protagonist is made out to be better than she really is, the author put the story together well. The author captured the emotions so well the reader can feel the longing and the ache that the people in the story feel. Though I used to have no interest in the War of the Roses, this book led me to find out more about Edward, Hastings, and some of the major characters.
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Posted August 11, 2004
I loved the description and plot for this book! I'm a huge fan of historical fiction and often find there are not enough intelligent, detailed books available in this genre. I can't wait to read the next one in this series!
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Posted July 20, 2004
This book perfectly portrays life in medieval England. It is somewhat of a fairy tale, a peasant girl reaches beyond her station to achieve much more than she ever would have imagined. The colorful way the author writes brings vivid images of the age to life, and makes you catch each character¿s innermost feeling. If you enjoy fairy tales, romance, lust, betrayal and all that stems from these, this book captures it all.
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Posted June 25, 2011
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Posted February 16, 2011
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Overview
A sweeping saga of lust, conspiracy, and betrayal, The Innocent is a bold and gripping tale of forbidden love set in fifteenth-century England.
The year is 1450, a dangerous time in medieval Britain. Civil unrest is at its peak and the legitimacy of the royal family is suspect. Meanwhile, deep in the forest of western England, a baby is born. Powerful forces plot to kill both mother and child, but somehow the newborn girl survives. Her name is Anne.
Fifteen years later, England emerges into a fragile but hopeful new age, with the charismatic young King Edward IV on the throne. Anne, now a young peasant girl, joins the ...