A Marriage of Fortune

England, 1469. The Pastons have lost possession of Caister Castle, and Margaret Paston must preserve the family’s position while civil conflict makes every alliance uncertain. She sees an advantageous marriage for her daughter Margery as one route to security, but Margery has fallen in love with a man below the rank her family expects. Her choice places affection against obedience and threatens to turn a private attachment into a public breach.

Anne Haute, cousin to Queen Elizabeth Woodville, remains tied to a long betrothal with Sir John Paston but increasingly doubts that he intends to marry her. As enemies exploit the family’s weakness, Margaret, Margery and Anne each confront the use of marriage as a legal and political instrument. Their interlocking stories show how women could negotiate, resist or suffer the bargains through which a late-medieval family defended property and reputation.