You know, I've always wondered about her...

Her being Queen Elizabeth.  The idea that she was a virgin makes sense because she was royalty, but I've always wondered what it would've been like if Elizabeth had decided to have children, married or not.

This week I read The Virgin Queen’s Daughter by Ella March Chase.  I stumbled upon it at Target, spending a gift card I got from a relative for my birthday.  What drew my eye was the cover, but what really drew me in was the story.

It starts off with the narrator, Elinor de Lacey, also known as Nell, mentioning in 1565 how she should never have been born. An interesting way to start the novel, but I kept on reading.

Then we go back to 1554.  A young Nell travels with her parents to London where her father meets with a fellow scholar.  Nell is five-year-old girl with bright red hair.  While visiting the Tower of London while Mary Tudor is queen, she has a chance visit with Elizabeth, Mary’s half-sister who has been in prison since Mary has ruled.  Nell is fascinated by Elizabeth, and dreams of serving in Elizabeth’s court in the future.

Chase again skips a few more years again, with Nell, now in 1564, sad due to the death of her father at 15.  Elizabeth is now queen, and has summoned Nell to be her maid of honor at court. 

An interlude chapter takes us back to 1548 with Elizabeth living with Henry VIII’s last wife, Katherine Parr and her new husband, Thomas Seymour.  Nell’s mother, Lady Caverly, is one of Katherine’s ladies-in-waiting at the time, taking care of the pregnant dowager queen.  However, it seems Seymour has eyes for Elizabeth as well and at the end of this chapter, we assume he has slept with her.

Now the similarities between the Queen and Nell seem to come to light.  Could Nell be the Queen’s child?  I don’t want to spoil this book, unlike my last one, because this book is too good to spoil.  Nell’s adventures at court and interactions with Robert Dudley’s (the queen’s favorite) knight, Sir Gabriel, will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I would recommend this book highly.  This is one of my favorite time periods to read fiction about.  I loved The Other Boleyn Girl (the movie), and I’ve always been fascinated with royalty, princesses, and the like.  The drama that goes on at court I think is more interesting than gossiping about celebrities today – because there was something real at stake, a crown.

I think next week I’m going to continue with the Tudors, and read a book by Kate Emerson called Secrets of the Tudor Court: Between Two Queens.  This book is more about Henry VIII and his women so I’m hoping it’ll be good as well.

Thanks for reading, and hopefully you’ll read again next week!