Lady Macbeth's Daughter (32 page)
With a smile, the queen gave him her hand, stepped on the cloak, and crossed the puddle without soiling her feet. Seeing the garment already sodden, the other ladies followed suit.
Meanwhile Elizabeth drew the young man close to her and spoke in his ear. When she let go of his hand and moved on, I could see his face shining like that of a lover. I, who had never looked with longing at any man, was seized with a sudden envy of my queen.
I walked around the puddle, avoiding the sorry cloak. Unable to restrain myself, I stared at the man as I passed, drinking in his features. His eyes flickered over me and he smiled—surely not at me, but at the memory of the queen’s touch.
“Close your mouth, you look moonstruck,” said Emme.
“Who was that?” I whispered.
“He is the queen’s new favorite, I daresay,” she replied.
“But what is his name?”
“Why, my dear Catherine, that is Walter Ralegh!”
Lisa Klein
is the author of
Ophelia
,
Two Girls of Gettysburg
, and
Cate of the Lost Colony.
A former professor of English, she lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her family.
BOOKS BY LISA KLEIN
Ophelia
Two Girls of Gettysburg
Lady Macbeth’s Daughter
Cate of the Lost Colony
Praise for
Lady Macbeth’s Daughter
“A riveting, nuanced historical drama. . . . Klein nimbly inserts feminist themes and vivid detail into the story, balancing the political tragedy and battlefield action.”
—Booklist
“This is a strong feminist reenvisioning of the original. . . . A great choice for teen book groups.”
—SLJ
“Klein’s novel is very clever and one can’t help but admire her for the way she builds her characters. . . . This is a very insightful, remarkable read.” —The Compulsive Reader
Praise for Ophelia
Ophelia
“A spellbinding tale of love, murder, and revenge.”
—VOYA
“[Klein] has taken one of Shakespeare’s famous plays and written a tale that is a little more user friendly in today’s world. . . . Add castles, adventure, romance, murder and fleeing for one’s life, and you have an amazing story.”—
Teenreads.com
“[Readers] will be swept up by the vivid, atmospheric setting, the heart-pounding romance, the palpable torment, and Ophelia’s fierce, earnest questions about how to love.”
—Booklist
Copyright © 2009 by Lisa Klein
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
First published in the United States of America in October 2009
by Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers
E-book edition published in September 2010
www.bloomsburyteens.com
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, Bloomsbury BFYR, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Klein, Lisa M.
Lady Macbeth’s daughter / by Lisa Klein. — 1st U.S. ed.
p. cm.
Summary: In alternating chapters, ambitious Lady Macbeth tries to bear a son and win the throne of Scotland for her husband, and Albia, their daughter, who was banished at birth and raised by three weird sisters, falls in love, learns of her parentage, and seeks to free Scotland from tyranny in this tale based on Shakespeare’s
Macbeth
.
ISBN-13: 978-1-59990-347-7 • ISBN-10: 1-59990-347-4 (hardcover)
1. Gruoch, Queen, consort of Macbeth, King of Scotland—Juvenile fiction. 2. Macbeth, King of Scotland, 11th cent.—Juvenile fiction. [1. Gruoch, Queen, consort of Macbeth, King of Scotland—Fiction. 2. Macbeth, King of Scotland, 11th cent.—Fiction. 3. Kings, queens, rulers, etc.—Fiction. 4. People with disabilities—Fiction. 5. Witchcraft—Fiction. 6. Murder—Fiction. 7. Scotland—History—To 1057—Fiction.] I. Shakespeare, William, 1564–1616. Macbeth. II. Title.
PZ7.K678342Lad 2009 [Fic]—dc22 2009006717
ISBN 978-1-59990-623-2 (e-book)