Delilah - A Novel

A man other than my husband sits on England's throne today.

What would happen if this king suddenly went mad? What would his queen do? Would she make the same mistakes I did, or would she learn from mine?

Margaret of Anjou, queen of England, cannot give up on her husband-even when he slips into insanity. And as mother to the House of Lancaster's last hope, she cannot give up on her son-even when England turns against them. This gripping tale of a queen forced to stand strong in the face of overwhelming odds is at its heart a tender tale of love.

Award-winning author Susan Higginbotham will once again ask readers to question everything they know about right and wrong, compassion and hope, duty to one's country and the desire of one's own heart.

Praise for Susan Higginbotham

"A beautiful blending of turbulent history and deeply felt fiction, Susan Higginbotham's The Queen of Last Hopes brings alive an amazing woman often overlooked or slandered by historians. Higginbotham has given readers of historical fiction a gift to treasure." -Karen Harper, New York Times bestselling author of The Irish Princess

"A compelling, fast paced, and well-written saga that is destined to both entertain and educate anyone interested in the spirited and fascinating Margaret of Anjou for generations to come!" -D. L. Bogdan, author of Secrets of the Tudor Court

"The Queen of Last Hopes is an inspiring novel of a woman who, in the face of betrayal and loss, would not surrender. Susan Higginbotham brings Margaret of Anjou to life and tells the story of the Frenchwoman who was one of the strongest queens England has ever known." -Christy English, author of The Queen's Pawn and To Be Queen

Even as she plans for her own nuptials, Isabel Thornleigh is helping to lay the groundwork to overthrow Mary and bring Elizabeth to power. But none of the secrets Isabel has discovered compares to the truths hidden in her own family. With her beloved father imprisoned by Queen Mary, only Carlos Valverde--a Spanish soldier of fortune--can help Isabel. Now with England's future at stake, Isabel risks all to change the course of history...

"Swiftly draws you into the tumult of Renaissance England...a big, fast-paced novel that won't let you down. I loved it!" --Diane Haeger

"Weaves a fast-paced plot through some of the most harrowing years of English history." --Judith Merkle Riley

The book starts by revealing that Anne is to be the teacher of the Avonlea School, although she will still continue her studies at home with Gilbert, who is teaching at the nearby White Sands School. The book soon introduces Anne's new and problematic neighbor, Mr. Harrison and his foul-mouthed parrot, as well as the twins, Davy and Dora. They are the children of Marilla's third cousin and she adopts them when their mother dies. Dora is a nice, well-behaved girl, while Davy is much more of a handful and gets into many scrapes. Other characters introduced are some of Anne's new pupils, such as Paul Irving, an American boy living with his grandma in Avonlea. He delights Anne because of his imagination and childish ways, which are a lot like Anne's in her childhood. Later in the book, Anne and her friends meet Miss Lavender, a nice but lonely lady who had been engaged to Paul's father 25 years before.
Among other things, during this book, Anne discovers the delights and troubles of being a teacher, takes part in the raising of Davy and Dora, and organizes the A.V.I.S. (Avonlea Village Improvement Society), which tries to bring improvements to Avonlea, with questionable results at first.
At the end, Anne and Gilbert go off to college, while Miss Lavender marries her longtime fiancé, Mr. Irving.
This book sees Anne maturing slightly, even though she still cannot avoid getting into a number of her familiar scrapes, as only Anne can—some of which include selling her neighbor's cow (having mistaken it for her own), or getting stuck in a broken duck house roof.