Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Chapter One
England had never before had a queen like her. Elizabeth was striking in appearance—fine red hair fell down her back and her pale complexion glowed—but it was her sharp intellect and quick wit that made her a queen worthy of her country. Her subjects were well-versed in the story of her tumultuous journey to the throne and admired her tenacity and her straightforward manner, never for a moment suspecting she was presenting them with a carefully crafted image of enduring strength.
"It's not safe." Lord Howard, second Baron of Effingham and cousin of the queen, spoke in a low, insistent tone as the royal barge glided along the Thames toward Whitehall Palace, a sprawling thousand-room castle that served as Elizabeth's official home in London. Concern chiseled deep in the creases of Howard's face, skin weathered by a youth spent at sea. "I tell you plainly, you will be murdered."
"You would have me stay always in the palace, protected by an ocean of guards," Elizabeth said. She hated the very idea of it. It would be like a paralyzing death. "Never come among my people ... read full excerpt from: Elizabeth: The Golden Age ebook
