Emma Campion - A Triple Knot

“Emma Campion brings Plantagenet history to life in this ‘You Are There’ historical novel.
A Triple Knot
unties a fascinating puzzle from the past and pulls the reader into the loves and losses, tragedies and triumphs of a dynamic woman, Joan, the Fair Maid of Kent. An impressively researched and realistically rendered novel.”

—Karen Harper,
New York Times
bestselling author of
The First Princess of Wales

“
A Triple Knot
is a superbly written, evocative tale of Joan of Kent that captivated me from the first page and held me until the very end. With a deft eye for detail and a wonderfully authentic evocation of time and place, Campion has delivered what is certain to become a classic.”

—Diane Haeger, author of
The Secret Bride: In the Court of Henry VIII

“In this meticulously researched, richly detailed, and empathetic novel, Emma Campion skillfully brings to life the enchanting Joan, Fair Maid of Kent and First Princess of Wales, who was described by the chronicler Jean Froissart as ‘the most beautiful woman in all the realm of England, and the most loving.’ With a bigamous union bracketed by two secret marriages—one to the Black Prince—she makes fascinating reading for anyone interested in the glittering court of Edward III, where intrigue and danger walk hand in hand with royalty and love.”

—Sandra Worth, author of
The King’s Daughter: A Novel of the First Tudor Queen

“Emma Campion’s portrayal of Joan of Kent is exquisite.
A Triple Knot
dazzled, packed with all the romance and intrigue of Plantagenet England. Vivid, well researched, and beautifully written, Campion’s Joan of Kent is a worthy heroine and one you will never forget.”

—Ella March Chase, author of
The Virgin Queen’s Daughter
and
The Queen’s Dwarf

“With grace, accuracy, and authenticity, Emma Campion brings Joan of Kent and her world to vivid, captivating life in
A Triple Knot
. Campion’s fourteenth century is as detailed, gorgeous, and fascinating as a
millefleur
tapestry—her history is immaculate, her characters convincing, and Joan, who is sometimes glossed over in the history books as the Fair Maid of Kent and little more, is complex yet sympathetic as Campion clarifies all the questions that historians might raise about this enigmatic woman. This exciting, compelling historical novel immerses the reader until the very last sentence. I loved
A Triple Knot
and I look forward to more from Emma Campion!”

—Susan Fraser King, author of
Lady Macbeth
and
Queen Hereafter

“
A Triple Knot
is the story of a steadfast love pitted against the cold, political maneuverings of fourteenth-century Plantagenet royals. Set amid the hardships and uncertainties of the Hundred Years’ War, Emma Campion’s portrayal of Joan of Kent and of the men who seek to claim her is masterful, sweeping us into a high medieval world that is both gracious and grim. Brilliantly imagined, this is a complex and ravishing blend of history, intrigue, scandal, and romance.”

—Patricia Bracewell, author of
Shadow on the Crown

“Emma Campion’s Joan of Kent is a remarkable creation. She springs off the page, completely alive, growing in stature and confidence as her young years pass, steadfast in her love in spite of all adversities. Compassionate, loving, she moves with grace and splendor throughout.
A Triple Knot
is a brilliant, tender portrait of a passionate woman in dangerous times.”

—Chris Nickson, author of the Richard Nottingham novels

English Royal Family:

Edward II, king of England, son of Edward I and his first wife, Eleanor of Castile

Isabella of France—Edward II’s queen (after his death, the dowager queen Isabella)

Edward III—king of England, son of Edward II and Isabella of France

Philippa of Hainault—Edward III’s queen; daughter of William, Count of Hainault, and Jeanne de Valois; sister of Philip of Valois, king of France

Half brothers of Edward II:

Thomas of Brotherton, Earl of Norfolk, son of Edward I and his second wife, Margaret of France

Edmund of Woodstock, Earl of Kent, son of Edward I and Margaret of France

Margaret Wake—Duchess of Kent, Edmund’s wife/widow

The Children of Edward and Philippa:

Edward of Woodstock (Ned)—Prince of Wales and Aquitaine

Isabella of Woodstock (Bella)

Joan of Scotland

Lionel of Antwerp—Earl of Ulster, then Duke of Clarence

John of Gaunt—Earl of Richmond, then Duke of Lancaster

Edmund of Langley—Earl of Cambridge, then Duke of York

Mary—died of plague

Margaret—died of plague

Thomas of Woodstock—Earl of Buckingham

(plus three who died in infancy)

The Children of Margaret and Edmund:

Edmund—died of fever within a year of his father’s execution

Joan—the Fair Maid of Kent

John—Earl of Kent

GUILDENSTERN:
“There must have been a moment, at the beginning, where we could have said—no. But somehow we missed it.”

—Tom Stoppard,
ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD

J
oan’s father, Edmund, Earl of Kent, was beheaded when she was not yet four years old. Yet even after eight years, she had only to close her eyes to remember how it felt to rest her head against his chest as he walked her back and forth, singing of fair maidens and valiant knights, her young bones resonating with his clear tenor. No nightmare could steal up on her when in his arms, no shadow creature dare approach. His warmth melted all pain. Her most precious possession was his drawing of a white hart seated on a lawn, a crown for a collar attached to a chain that pooled in the grass beneath. He’d had it embroidered on his cloaks and jackets—white hart, deep green lawn, and gold crown and chain. All long gone.

Joan had found the drawing at the bottom of an old chest the previous spring. When she showed it to her cousin Ned, he confided that his grandam, the dowager queen Isabella, crossed herself whenever a white hart was mentioned in ballad or romance, a reminder of her part in Edmund’s murder. She’d done nothing to stop the Earl of March, her lover and partner in rebellion, from beheading Joan’s father for his loyalty to her husband, the king. Joan hated her for it.

Unfortunately, Joan and the dowager queen were bound to each other. To atone for his uncle’s unwarranted execution,
the present King Edward, Isabella’s son, had taken responsibility for Edmund’s widow, Margaret, and her children, making them part of Queen Philippa’s household. A cruel charity for which Joan was no more grateful than was her mother.

So, through the summer and into the autumn Joan had bent to her work, embroidering the white hart emblem while keeping in her mind the charms of protection she’d learned from her nurse, Efa, and then, in secret, stitching the square onto a large banner, whispering a spell of power.

Now she and Ned watched from behind a screen as Isabella and her ladies spilled into the great hall, taking their seats in a circle at the south end, where there was morning light for their needlework.

Look up
, Joan whispered, as if Lady Isabella might hear her.
In the rafters just there. See how the morning sun lights up the white silk and the gold thread. Feel the power of my father’s blood that flows in me and my brother
.

But the dowager queen had her head down, fussing with her embroidery frame, fingering the threads in her basket, choosing a color. At last, as she waited for her servant to thread her embroidery needle, Isabella sat back to survey the hall.

Yes, Grandam, up!
Ned whispered, crouched beside Joan. Though three years younger, he was taller than she, and considered himself her champion. Even against his grandmother.
Look up! Aha!

Isabella’s full lips parted, dark blue eyes widened, ivory skin blanched to a deathly pallor. “Who dares hang that abomination in this hall?” she hissed. The jet beads on her black velvet mourning flashed as she reared up, a thundercloud charged with lightning, stabbing at the air with a bejeweled finger, pointing to Joan’s banner.

His daughter dares
, Joan whispered, and shushed Ned as he started to laugh.

Oh, it was worth all her hard work to see that look of rage
on Isabella’s face. But why must her mother choose that moment to enter the hall?

Countess Margaret believed the invitation to celebrate Martinmas at Woodstock was meant as a peace offering, and though she could never forgive what Isabella had done, she thought it best for Joan and her brother that they accept with grace. King Edward, Queen Philippa, and the two princesses were in the Low Countries, the eight-year-old Prince Edward, Ned, left behind as titular Keeper of the Realm, but the boy answered to his grandam, the dowager queen. Best to keep in her good graces at the moment.