In which Nora of Lancaster continues to fight for her family and their rightful place on the throne of England, despite all that she has lost already.
THE WHITE PRINCESS
BOOK TWO IN THE COUSIN'S WAR SERIES
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At her sister-in-law's palace in Burgundy, Nora laid in bed, just as she had been doing for an entire week. She refused to get up and out of bed, the pain of losing her youngest child becoming unbearable.
Margaret, Mary, and Cecily had tried everything, but nothing seemed to work. Nothing could convince her to get out of bed and that pained them most of all.
And they knew. They knew there was nothing that could convince Nora to get out of bed. For she felt as though there was nothing left to live for.
She took Katherine with her because she didn't want to lose her as she did her brothers and sisters, yet she lost her anyway.
She began to wonder if she was cursed.
She had one child left now. Her Lizbeth. But Lizbeth had betrayed her and chose to remain with the man she loved instead of her own mother.
Nora couldn't blame her, though. She had done the same thing once almost thirty years ago.
Her mother had wanted vengeance on House York, the people who cost her everything, but instead of her daughter choosing her, she chose to remain with the man she loved. Edward. The man who was technically the reason her family lost everything.
The door opened, but Nora didn't turn. She already knew it must have been Cecily or Margaret. They had come to see her every day, despite Nora never actually speaking to them.
"It's been a week," Cecily spoke up as she walked into Nora's room.
She couldn't bear to see the woman who was always like a daughter to her lose all hope. She had seen it happen before, when Edward had died. Arthur, her firstborn son, had been the one to get out of her depressive state.
Now, Arthur was gone, along with the rest of Nora's children.
Cecily began to fear there was nothing that would get the woman out of her hopeless state.
"Will you not have something small to eat?" Cecily asked and still, Nora did not answer, "My poor, poor girl."
She sighed in defeat, moving closer to Nora. "Come now. You must. Lizzie has arrived. She needs you. Or she'll have no one. You care for her like you would your own child. Do not abandon her as her own mother did. She chose to remain here with you over her own sisters. Do not let her down." She pleaded, yet Nora remained silent, avoiding eye contact with the elder woman as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
Cecily waited a few moments, but still, she got no answer. "So be it," She whispered softly.
Nora closed her eyes, listening as Cecily left the room and closed the door behind her. Gradually, she allowed her eyes to open back up, a part of her telling her to get up and keep fighting.
