The Waiting Game

"All too often ladies-in-waiting are the extras of historical drama, a glamorous but silent backdrop for the starring queens. Nicola Clark's fascinating narrative shows that once allowed a voice, they have all sorts of tales to tell us about a history we thought we knew, upending the conventional stories of the Tudor court. * Catherine Fletcher, author of The Beauty and the Terror * A compelling read, Nicola Clark's The Waiting Game tells the story of Henry VIII's reign through the eyes of the women of his court, and gives a fresh new perspective on this most important and transformative period in English history. * Elizabeth Norton, author of The Lives of Tudor Women * A fresh, thoroughly researched, and empathetic journey through the Tudor court from the perspective of the fascinating women who served there. * Gareth Russell, author of The Palace * The Waiting Game is a meticulously researched, fresh and evocative tale of the women who inhabited the Tudor court. Nicola Clark reveals their intrigues, desires, ambitions and machinations as never before. The Waiting Game exposes the deadly game played by the women usually relegated to the background and proves that hell hath no fury like a lady-in-waiting scorned. A stunning, vivid read. * Joanne Paul, author of The House of Dudley * Written in a lively, accessible style, The Waiting Game is full of insight. * Suzannah Lipscomb, Literary Review * This well-researched new volume by Nicola Clark... provides fascinating insights into the roles of these women who ""were never not there"" * Country Life * Abounds with names and careers that will be unfamiliar to many readers, and dazzling little nuggets of court life. Clark's eye for detail, as well as her instinctive grasp of the 16th century's trecherous politics, makes The Waiitng Game a refreshing tonic to costume drama chiches of the early Tudor Court. * Dan Jones, Telegraph *"