“I want you to be happy, Catherine,” Lucy whispered. “We are re-creating your garden with love.”

She raised a hand to her lips and blew a kiss out over the valley. The sky seemed to cloud over, the stars dimming for a moment. Looking down from the terrace, Lucy saw the most perfect vision: a glorious little Tudor garden spread out below her, the labyrinth crisp with fresh snowfall, the trees hung with frost like jewels. In the middle of it a woman in a red gown and a tall, handsome man stood entwined, whilst around them two small boys tumbled through the snow and their calls and laughter reached Lucy, echoing through the darkness.

Author Note

Originally I intended setting this book at Chastleton House but when the pandemic intervened I was unable to visit in order to research and so instead I chose a location based on my own village in the Vale of the White Horse. The village of Knightstone is fictitious but visitors to the Vale may recognise many landscape features and certain buildings.

Catherine Catesby is a woman who has left barely a trace in the historical record and yet her influence on her husband, Robert, is generally acknowledged to have been profound. Her death, coupled with that of his father, is considered to have removed the more benign influences that had previously kept him from the religious and political radicalization that culminated in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

Acknowledgments

Writing can be a solitary business so I would like to thank all those readers, reviewers, librarians, friends and colleagues who buy my books, send encouragement and support, and chat to me about reading and history. I would not be able to do this without you. Thank you so much!

My family and friends have been a constant source of love, patience and generosity, especially through the recent difficult times, and I am immensely grateful to them all. A particular vote of thanks goes to Sarah Morgan for her support and encouragement and to Christina Courtenay and my blog colleagues the Word Wenches. I’d also like to thank the two Julies at Park House for helping me keep focused!

Thank you as ever to my publishing teams at HQStories and at Graydon House for their commitment during such challenging times for publishing, particularly to my editor, Emily Kitchin, to Susan Swinwood and to Joe Thomas.

This book is dedicated to Angus, who was for nine years the very best animal companion a writer could have, loyal, patient, keen to chew through laptop cables and lie under my desk, preventing me from getting close enough to my keyboard to do any actual writing.

Also by Nicola Cornick

THE LAST DAUGHTER OF YORK

THE FORGOTTEN SISTER

THE WOMAN IN THE LAKE

THE PHANTOM TREE

HOUSE OF SHADOWS

For a complete list of books by Nicola Cornick, please visit www.nicolacornick.com.

ISBN-13: 9780369702173

The Winter Garden

Copyright © 2022 by Nicola Cornick