THE LAST SHROUD

By Derek Birks

“Say your prayers, my friends, for it's the last chance you'll have.”
It is July 1469 and England is at peace. For Ned Elder, it should be a time of recovery and renewal but a revolt breaks out against King Edward IV and he calls upon Ned to help restore order. Ned suspects that Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick and the king’s own brother, George, Duke of Clarence, are behind the new troubles. His fears prove well founded as the kingdom spirals towards civil war.
Once again, Ned and his sisters, Eleanor and Emma, come under attack from rivals old and new. Into the turmoil of rebellion steps Robert Radcliffe, Warwick’s man, and a former enemy of the Elders. He offers to help Emma, but how far can she trust him?
The bitter struggle between King Edward and his enemies must be settled in blood upon the battlefield where the victor will take the crown of England. But does Ned Elder have the stomach for yet another fight?
Divisions in the Elder household threaten its very survival. Can the Elders be reunited or will the family destroy itself from within - and who among the Elders will emerge unscathed from the bloodiest crisis of the Wars of the Roses?