Olivia Hayfield is the pen name of British author Sue Copsey. Sue is usually to be found in her office editing other people’s books, while Olivia is likely to be in her writing hut at the bottom of the garden, wondering what well-known historical characters would be like if they were alive today.
Sue worked for several years as a press officer at London Zoo, and then became an editor at Dorling Kindersley UK. She and her husband later moved to New Zealand, where Sue continues to work in publishing. She is also the author of several children’s books, including The Ghosts of Tarawera, which received a Notable Book Award from the Storylines Children’s Literature Trust of New Zealand. Wife After Wife was her first adult novel.
Sue lives in Auckland with her husband and two children.
Also by Olivia Hayfield
Wife After Wife
Sister to Sister
Olivia Hayfield
History repeats
P I A T K U S
First published in Great Britain in 2021 by Piatkus Copyright © Sue Copsey 2021
Lyrics from ‘Woodstock’ written by Joni Mitchell, © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC.
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
ISBN: 978-0-349-42332-6
Piatkus
Little, Brown Book Group Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment London EC4Y 0DZ
www.littlebrown.co.uk www.hachette.co.uk
For Helena
Not quite as red, but just as feisty
Cast of Characters
The Rose family
HARRY ROSE
King Henry VIII
Billionaire head of media giant Rose Corp (retired – in theory). Still a devilishly handsome charmer.
CLARE ROSE
Catherine Parr
Fifth wife of Harry Rose. Kind and wise. Harry’s rock.
ELIZA ROSE
Queen Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen
Daughter of Harry Rose and his second wife, Ana. English student at Oxford. Smart and vivacious with a jealous streak. Weakness for glamorous men, but won’t let them physically close.
MARIA ROSE
Queen Mary I, Bloody Mary
Daughter of Harry Rose and his first wife, Katie. Acting CEO at Rose Corp. Strict Catholic; lacks people skills. Troubled.
EDDIE ROSE
King Edward VI
Son of Harry Rose and his third wife, Janette. Schoolboy at Eton. A fine, wholesome young man.
Eliza’s Oxford friends
WILL BARDINGTON
William Shakespeare
Gifted English literature student. Active in Drama and Poetry Societies. A drama queen.
KIT MARLEY
Christopher Marlowe
Studying English with Will and Eliza. Androgynous, wildly creative, enigmatic. In touch with his dark side.
FRANKIE MALLARD
Sir Francis Drake;
explorer, first ship’s captain to circumnavigate the globe
Geography student. A keen sailor.
LEIGH WALTERS
Sir Walter Raleigh;
explored the New World, bringer of tobacco and potatoes
Economics student. Heavy smoker.
Rose staff and board members
JOHN STUDLEY
Crony of Harry Rose; trustee of Eddie Rose. Ex-Army, has grand ambitions for sons Gil and Rob.
ROB STUDLEY
Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
Editorial assistant at Rose Corp; childhood playmate of Eliza. Good-looking metrosexual; an exuberant, twinkly-eyed charmer.
TERRI ROBBINS-MORE
Sir Thomas More
Fearsome editor of The Rack; long-time friend and colleague of Harry Rose. Takes a special interest in Eliza. Nickname: Cruella.
CECIL WALSHAM
William Cecil/Francis Walsingham; chief advisor/principal secretary to Elizabeth I
Consultant and later Chief Operating Officer at Rose Corp. Reliable, all-knowing, wise, patient. Harry’s spy.
FRANCESCA ‘CHESS’ LISLE
Lady Jane Grey
Eliza’s cousin – daughter of Harry’s sister Megan; board member. Progressive, well-educated, feminist. Dating Gil Studley.
SEYMOUR MORRISSEY
Sir Thomas Seymour, Baron Seymour of Sudely
Brother of Harry’s third wife, Janette; Eliza’s step-uncle. Trustee of Eddie Rose. Charismatic, with a dark side.
RICH MORRISSEY
Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset
Janette’s other brother; also a trustee of Eddie’s.
ANGELO ‘RIZZ’ RIZZIO
David Rizzio
Adorable young production assistant at Rose Corp. Sings while he works.
Rose relatives
MACKENZIE ‘MAC’ JAMES
Mary, Queen of Scots
Daughter of Harry’s older sister, Margot James. Strikingly attractive, strong-willed, ambitious. Questionable taste in men.
MARGOT JAMES
Margaret Tudor;
married King James IV of Scotland
Humourless older sister of Harry Rose. Holds one-third of Rose shares. Lives in a Scottish castle; shoots things.
MEGAN LISLE
Mary Tudor;
sister of Henry VIII
Harry Rose’s younger sister, married to his best friend Charles.
CHARLES LISLE
Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk
Harry’s best friend and brother-in-law. A retired banker.
HELENA LISLE
Eleanor Brandon
Eliza’s cousin; second daughter of Megan Lisle; an artist.
HENRY ‘STU’ BLUNT
Henry Fitzroy/Henry Stuart (Lord Darnley)
Son of Harry Rose and his mistress Bennie Blunt. Grew up in Australia. A loose cannon – wild, drinks a lot and avoids work. A bitter man.
And the rest . . .
PHIL SEVILLE
King Philip of Spain
Billionaire head of US Christian media company Hapsburg Inc. Right-wing fundamentalist. A snake.
AMY HART
Amy Dudley, née Robsart
Rob Studley’s sweet, shy partner. A nurse. Often sad.
HAMISH EARLE
James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell
A Scottish financier. Old friend of Mackenzie James. Corrupt, with shadowy contacts.
CASSANDRA LISLE
no Tudor equivalent
First wife of Charles Lisle; a recovered alcoholic. Runs a wellness retreat in Wales.
ANDRE SOKOLOV
no Tudor equivalent
Russian billionaire and owner of Premier League football team. An evil man with no moral compass.
I would rather be a beggar and single than a queen and married.
ELIZABETH I (1533–1603)
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
&nb
sp; Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Readers Guide – Questions for discussion
The history behind the characters . . . A Q & A with Olivia Hayfield
Chapter 1
Eliza
‘Bloody Maria,’ said Terri. She took a savage bite of her apple and frowned at a bunch of high-spirited students gliding past in a punt.
Eliza was about to ask what her sister had done now, when the punter, a tall, rangy young man with a mop of chocolate-coloured curls, spotted them picnicking under a willow tree and yelled, ‘Hey! Eliza Rose! Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and—’ He waved to attract her attention, lost his grip on the pole and fell over the side with a splash.
As the squealing girls hauled him back in, Eliza doubled over with laughter. ‘Oh my god,’ she spluttered. ‘That was so on purpose. He’s such a drama queen.’
‘ . . . rough winds do shake the darling buds of May!’ the young man finished. He shook his head like a dog, fished out his pole, stood back up and gave an elaborate bow.
‘Who the fuck was that?’ asked Terri as the punt drifted away down the Cherwell.
‘Will Bardington. He’s in my English tutorial group. I love him. Sorry, what were you saying about Bloody Maria?’
Terri regarded Eliza for a moment. ‘Part of me wants to just leave you in peace to enjoy your clichéd Oxford experience, even though it’s a load of balls and punts, but the other part thinks I should keep you up to speed with what your psycho sister’s up to. After all, you’re going to have to come and restore sanity at some point.’
‘What’s she done now?’
‘More on the tedious theme of cleaning up Rose publications, especially the women’s mags. Hooray!’s Hot Bod of the Month is no more. Shame. It was an institution. And this week she took issue with a Celebrity Cellulite Secrets piece. Labelled it “body shaming”, but it’s just an excuse to ban exposed flesh.’
‘But that stuff’s totally par for the course,’ said Eliza.
‘That’s precisely why she’s pissed off. She’s on a mission to change British magazine culture. It seems Rose will be spearheading the charge out of the cesspit of paparazzi crap. The Telegraph’s calling her the Clean-up Queen.’
‘Maybe she should have stuck with Human Resources,’ said Eliza. Before their father Harry Rose’s forced early retirement, Maria had headed up Rose Corp’s @People. Now she was Acting CEO.
‘Yup. Should never have been allowed near editorial policy. Gotta say, I miss your dad. He wasn’t a fan of sleaze, but he let the teams draw their own lines. Was very much hands-off. Apart from with your mum, of course. More hands-on with her.’
Eliza looked sideways at Terri, but she was gazing steadily ahead, her eyes hidden behind enormous sunglasses. She and Eliza’s mother, Ana, had been great friends, and Eliza knew Terri’s continuing mentorship was mostly to do with honouring Ana’s memory. Terri and Eliza also knew more than anyone else about the true facts surrounding Ana’s death. More, that is, apart from Harry Rose, and the Russian billionaire Andre Sokolov.
Eliza leaned back, supporting herself on her elbows. The May sun shone through the willow fronds, throwing dancing spots of dappled light onto the tartan blanket. In front of them, mayflies dipped into the water, creating tiny ripples and rings. Swallows swooped low, snapping up insects, and dragonflies zipped about and hovered.
From some distant ice cream van, the tinkle of ‘Greensleeves’ blew across on the breeze.
‘Dad still won’t talk about Mum,’ said Eliza, popping a grape into her mouth. ‘He always changes the subject when I ask about her.’
‘He’ll get there,’ said Terri. ‘But back to Maria. A word in her ear might help, before she does too much damage. Remind her she’s meant to be running the big picture stuff past you, as per the arrangement with Harry.’
‘Not sure she’d take a blind bit of notice, to be honest.’
‘Give it a try – otherwise I’ll have to speak to the board about reining her in. Mia’s considering resigning.’
‘Oh no,’ said Eliza. Hooray’s editor had been with Rose for decades.
‘She still hasn’t got over Harry’s departure,’ said Terri. ‘Any more of this and she’ll spit the dummy and leave. And you can be sure Maria would recruit a replacement who’d back her clean-up campaign. If we’re not careful, we’ll end up with a bunch of 1950s Good Housekeeping clones.’
As Eliza enjoyed the bucolic scene, she couldn’t work up any enthusiasm for being back in London, even if only for a short while. Late spring in Oxford was so seductive. The ancient, venerable feel of it all – the mellow stone colleges, the dreaming spires, the water meadows; the spirits of all those great minds passing on the academic torch.
Terri was right – she was a cliché. But in a way, this made her appreciate her good fortune all the more. She was aware of how lucky she was to be living this life. Never before had she had friends who inspired her like her fellow students did. When she was with them, anything seemed possible; they could – and would – change the world. Friends like Will Bardington and Kit Marley from her tutorial group, bursting with creativity. Frankie Mallard (Geography) and Leigh Walters (Economics), her closest female friends.
Conversely, Eliza’s relationship with her half-sister, ten years her senior, was tricky at best, often fraught. If Eliza’s new friends were shining lights, Maria was a shadow.
‘Maybe Dad could talk to her.’ So I don’t have to.
‘I thought the idea was to keep Harry at arm’s length.’
Eliza sighed. ‘True.’
Harry’s daughters, and his wife Clare, had ‘persuaded’ him to step down from Rose Corp after revelations in the press about his affairs over the years, and his treatment of two of his wives. They believed he was at least partly to blame for Ana’s and Caitlyn’s deaths, and that he’d never clear his troubled conscience unless he accepted responsibility.
Harry and Clare were currently sailing the South Pacific on Harry’s super-yacht Janette. On his video calls home, Eliza sensed he was relieved to be out of the public eye after his downfall, but that his exile was hurting badly. Rose Corp was his life, his identity.
Tough. He still remained tight-lipped on the subject of Ana, particularly on her death, and Eliza couldn’t let it go. It felt unresolved; it niggled away at her, and she couldn’t help prodding it, like a person worrying a painful tooth. She loved her father dearly, but his refusal to open up on the subject of her mother was exasperating.
‘OK,’ she said. ‘I’ll call Maria tonight. And I’ll be back at Rose in the summer vacation. Maybe on The Rack again?’
‘Does it for me,’ said Terri.
‘Great! I love working for you.’
‘Christ, that’s a first,’ said Terri. ‘Must do something about my soft spot. Can’t be seen to be mellowing in my old age.’
Eliza knew it was all bluster. Terri Robbins-More’s management style was notoriously tyrannical, but to writers, editors and designers, a job on The Rack, Britain’s most-awarded magazine, was the stuff of career dreams.
Eliza wondered how old Te
rri actually was. She guessed about the same age as Dad – mid-fifties. When her hair had started to turn grey, she’d dyed her swept-over fringe white, and the rest back to her natural black. ‘Your mum called me Cruella,’ she’d told Eliza, ‘so think of it as a tribute to her.’
‘Your cousin’s starting at Rose this summer, too,’ said Terri. ‘Came in for an interview. Considering the silver spoon wedged in her entitled millennial mouth, she doesn’t seem too annoying.’
‘Chess?’ Francesca Lisle was the daughter of Harry’s younger sister, Megan. ‘She’s cool. Very smart. Maybe she could work with you?’
‘Nepotism may be accepted practice at Rose, but I prefer to choose my team based on talent and experience, not on who their bloody uncle is and how many shares they have.’
‘But you didn’t mind having me around?’
‘Any complicity in that arrangement was down to your dearly departed mother’s memory. Although I’ll grant you’re acceptably talented. But my benevolence does not extend to cousins. So no. Cousin Chess can look elsewhere. And maybe you should park yourself with Maria, keep an eye on her extremist tendencies. Offer to be an extra PA, or something.’
‘She wouldn’t want that.’
Eliza and Maria’s work relationship was built on eggshell-thin foundations. They’d rubbed along during Eliza’s recent stint at Rose, thanks to a shared need to demonstrate to Harry and others on the board that they were capable heirs to the business. Eliza had been right behind Maria’s equality and ethics goals, although, from what Terri was saying, those goals seemed to have shifted significantly, from worthy to reactionary.