Book 1

Young Bess

by Margaret Irwin

Published December 1944
Growing up in the shadow of her dead mother, the infamous Anne Boleyn, young Princess Elizabeth has learnt to be continuously on the watch for the political games played out around her. It is never certain when one might rise in, or precariously fall out of, royal favour.
When her distant father, Henry VIII, dies, the future brightens for Elizabeth. She is able to set up a home with Henry's last wife, Katherine Parr, who now has a new husband, Tom Seymour. Tom, however, is playing a risky game. Marrying a widowed queen is one thing, flirting with the King's daughter and second in line to the throne is another. As the adolescent Elizabeth finds herself dangerously attracted to him, danger encroaches upon herself and the kingdom ...

Book 2

In this, the second of Margaret Irwin's great trilogy about the life of 'Good Queen Bess', Elizabeth I, the imperious, high spirited heroine of Young Bess finds herself the prey of her sister Mary's jealous suspicions. The death of her young brother, Edward IV; the accession of Bloody Mary; the execution of Lady Jane Grey; her own imprisonment in the Tower of London; and the arrival of Philip of Spain to marry Queen Mary provide the powerful background to Irwin's masterful novel as Elizabeth strives to achieve her ambition, the Crown of England.

Book 3

The third novel in the author's trilogy about Good Queen Bess. Running the gauntlet between Bloody Mary's jealousy and morbid outbursts of hate, and Philip's uneasy ardour, the young Elizabeth warily advances towards her destiny.