The Mirror and the Light

As Anne Boleyn’s blood is sluiced from the scaffold, Thomas Cromwell picks his way through the wreckage of her death to take his place as principal councillor to King Henry VIII.

As the dissolution of the monasteries gathers speed, Cromwell makes a personal pilgrimage to Shaftesbury Abbey to speak with a young nun, who profoundly shakes his view of himself.

The birth of a prince gives England the heir that Henry longs for, but at a terrible price. As the court grieves for Jane, it falls to Cromwell to find a fourth bride for the king.

Cromwell’s marital diplomacy brings Princess Anne of Cleves to Henry’s court. Will the alliance create a Protestant superpower in northern Europe, or has Cromwell’s luck run out?