Summary:
A look at the mystery of who killed the nephews of King Richard III, taken from the viewpoint of Josephine Tey's mystery novel The Daughter of Time.
The Mystery of The Daughter of Time
The Daughter of Time, a mystery book that takes place in the early 1900's starts out with the main character, Alan Grant, who has an injured leg. He is forced to stay laid up in the hospital for several weeks in order to recuperate. Alan is an inspector of Scotland Yard, and he is getting very bored with the usual things that he does to entertain himself- such as look at the ceiling for shapes. But one day, some portraits are presented to him, and curiosity gets the best of him.
The portrait that embarks on him is an old picture of King Richard III. He thinks that he is a kindly looking man, and looks very proper. But, you see, he does not know that Richard has been accused for hundreds of years for being a villainous murderer of his own family. Alan inquires his nurse on this portrait and asks what she thinks of it. His nurse, "The Midget" says that Richard III was a "murdering brute," and he "did away with his two little nephews, poor brats. Had them smothered." This new information has Grant mystified, and he realizes that he must figure out more about this unraveling mystery.
"The Midget," believed that Richard III would benefit in the death of his two nephews, for it would help him receive the throne all for himself. He then went to his second nurse whom he called "The Amazon," and asked her what she thought of this man. She was very distressed about it, and declared that she was frightened as a child that someone would come and smother her as well when she was silently asleep. Grant was unsure about what his sources were saying of this man, for he thought that Richard appeared to be a nice, generous man. He had to discover the background of this wealthy man who apparently had a dark side. Were these clues false information? Could all of these accusations be true of this kindly looking man?
His visitor, Sergeant Williams supplied Grant with history books, and volumes of information appealing to the Richard III case. After much extensive research, Grant finally reveals his personal verdict. As the mystery concludes, it is decided that Richard did not kill his family, for he did not possess enough motive, but instead it was Henry VII, for he could receive that throne through these deaths.
This is the complete article, containing 407 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page).
