The King’s Evil

The King’s Evil
Andrew Taylor

From the No.1 bestselling author of The Ashes of London and The Fire Court comes the next book in the phenomenally successful series following James Marwood.A royal scandal that could change the face of England forever… London 1667. In the Court of Charles II, it’s a dangerous time to be alive – a wrong move could lead to disgrace, exile or death. The discovery of a murder at Clarendon House, the palatial home of one of the highest courtiers in the land, could have catastrophic consequences.  James Marwood, a traitor’s son, is ordered to cover up the murder. But the dead man is Edward Alderley, the cousin of one of Marwood’s acquaintances. Cat Lovett had every reason to want her cousin dead. Since his murder, she has vanished, and all the evidence points to her as the killer. Marwood is determined to clear Cat’s name and discover who really killed Alderley. But time is running out for everyone. If he makes a mistake, it could threaten not only the government but the King himself…

Copyright (#u564be392-9748-567a-8be7-6d7209f6252a)

Published by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers 2019

Copyright © Andrew Taylor 2019

Cover design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2019

Cover illustrations © Heritage Image Partnership Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo (https://www.alamy.com/) and Shutterstock.com (https://www.shutterstock.com/)

Andrew Taylor asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Prelims show image of Clarendon House © Antiqua Print Gallery/Alamy Stock Photo (https://www.alamy.com/)

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008119188

Ebook Edition © April 2019 ISBN: 9780008119171

Version: 2019-02-28

Dedication (#u564be392-9748-567a-8be7-6d7209f6252a)

For Caroline

Epigraph (#u564be392-9748-567a-8be7-6d7209f6252a)

To that soft Charm, that Spell, that Magick Bough,

That high Enchantment I betake me now:

And to that Hand (the Branch of Heavens faire Tree)

I kneele for help: O! lay that hand on me,

Adored Cesar! and my Faith is such,

I shall be heal’d, if that my King but touch.

The Evill is not Yours: my sorrow sings,

Mine is the Evill, but the Cure, the KINGS.

Robert Herrick, ‘To the King, to cure the Evill’

(Hesperides, 1648)

Contents

Cover (#u6df67007-7b64-56fc-9b0d-c7b311cb16c3)

Title Page (#u8b8da022-1ee0-52cc-9cc3-d108f4456bcd)

Copyright

Dedication

Epigraph

The Main Characters

The Royal Family

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten