Excerpted First Chapter of Hilary Mantel's 'The Mirror and the Light'
Wreckage (I) LONDON, MAY 1536 Once the queen’s head is severed, he walks away. The morning’s circumstances are new and there are no rules to guide us. Under the hats, their faces are stunned. But then he turns back, to say a word of thanks to the executioner. Having once been a poor man, he knows this from experience. She held it fast though, and a head is heavier than you expect....