Handsome, accomplished, and charming, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, staked his claim to the English throne by marrying Mary Stuart, who herself claimed to be the Queen of England. It was not long before Mary discovered that her new husband was interested only in securing sovereign power for himself. Then, on February 10, 1567, an explosion at his lodgings left Darnley dead; the intrigue thickened after it was discovered that he had apparently been suffocated before the blast. After an exhaustive reevaluation of the source material, Alison Weir has come up with a solution to this enduring mystery. Employing her gift for vivid characterization and gripping storytelling, Weir has written one of her most engaging excursions yet into Britain’s bloodstained, power-obsessed past.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE: THE SCOTTISH LORDS
INTRODUCTION: THE CONTROVERSY AND THE SOURCES
PROLOGUE: KIRK O’FIELD, EDINBURGH, 10 FEBRUARY 1567
Chapter 2: “THE MOST BEAUTIFUL IN EUROPE”
Chapter 3: “POWERFUL CONSIDERATIONS”
Chapter 4: “A HANDSOME, LUSTY YOUTH”
Chapter 5: “MOST UNWORTHY TO BE MATCHED”
Chapter 6: “THE CHASEABOUT RAID”
Chapter 7: “THERE IS A BAIT LAID FOR SIGNOR DAVID”
Chapter 9: “AS THEY HAVE BREWED, SO LET THEM DRINK”
Chapter 10: “AN UNWELCOME INTRUDER”
Chapter 12: “UNNATURAL PROCEEDINGS”
Chapter 13: “THE DAYS WERE EVIL”
Chapter 14: “SOME SUSPICION OF WHAT AFTERWARDS HAPPENED”
Chapter 15: “ALL WAS PREPARED FOR THE CRIME”
Chapter 16: “MOST CRUEL MURDER”
Chapter 17: “NONE DARE FIND FAULT WITH IT”
Chapter 18: “THE CONTRIVERS OF THE PLOT”
Chapter 19: “GREAT SUSPICIONS AND NO PROOF”
Chapter 20: “LAYING SNARES FOR HER MAJESTY”
Chapter 21: “THE CLEANSING OF BOTHWELL”
Chapter 22: “WE FOUND HIS DOINGS RUDE”
Chapter 23: “WANTONS MARRY IN THE MONTH OF MAY”
Chapter 24: “THIS TRAGEDY WILL END IN THE QUEEN’S PERSON”
Chapter 26: “I AM NO ENCHANTRESS”
Chapter 27: “THESE RIGOROUS ACCUSATIONS”
Chapter 28: “PRETENDED WRITINGS”
Chapter 29: “MUCH REMAINS TO BE EXPLAINED”
Chapter 30: “THE DAUGHTER OF DEBATE”
ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE NOTES AND REFERENCES