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This book was a historical mystery novel, entertaining and suspenseful. It follows Joanna Stafford, a Dominican nun in 1537 England. She finds out a favorite cousin has been condemned to be burned at the stake, on orders of King Henry VIII. She breaks the enclosure vow to see her cousin die, to give her a familiar and loving face before she dies. While at Smithfield, she sees her father at the last minute throw some gunpowder on the flames to make for a speedy and less horrific death. She is arrested along with her father in The Tower for interfering. As she is also of royal blood, her uncle being Edward Stafford and third Duke of Buckingham. Buckingham had been killed for plotting for King Henry's throne, so the Stafford name was no longer popular or safe. While in The Tower, she discovers that her father has been tortured by Bishop Gardiner. In order to stay safe and save her father, she is ordered back to Dartford Priory to resume her novice duties. While there, she is given the task of finding a sacred relic of King Athelstan- it had the ability to end the Reformation that Cromwell was assisting in.
From Dartford Priory to Malmesbury Abbey, Joanna along with Brother Edmund who is also employed by Bishop Gardiner, must hurry and find the crown before Cromwell does. They must do so quietly so no one at the abbey knows. Many abbeys and sanctuaries were being closed down all around them, their riches emptied into the royal treasury and the nuns left without a home. Time is of the essence as well as discretion. The relic involves the Black Prince, Richard the Lionhearted and Katherine of Aragon's first husband, Arthur. The book is full of suspense and mystery as the abbess dies and murders happen within the abbey walls.
I enjoyed this book because it involved a time period I much enjoy reading about, but another angle. It was interesting to read from the angle of an abbey that was soon to be suppressed during the Reformation of King Henry VIII's time, and also to have it be a mystery at the same time. It was easy to read, interesting and I didn't guess the culprit in the end.
I also want to share a few other blog sites that have helped me find good books coming out. http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/23965.Historical_Fiction_2013, http://onthetudortrail.com/Blog/ and http://historicalboys.blogspot.com/ this one written by a favorite author of mine, C.W. Gortner.
I have been on a Robin Maxwell streak and after reading Mademoiselle Boleyn, I was curious to read more about Leonardo da Vinci's life. This book is set in the mid 1400's and focuses on the life of his mother, Caterina. She was raised by her father Ernesto, her mother having died soon after childbirth. An aunt also helped cook for them, Magdalena. Her father owned and ran an apothecary shop, selling medicinal herbs and such to the city of Vinci. At age eight, the number of Infinity, Ernesto began teaching Caterina even more feverishly. He began with the story of his apprenticeship to the Florentine historian and scholar, Poggio Bracciolini, who was employed by Cosimo de Medici. After the destruction of the great library in Alexandria in Egypt, many scrolls were scattered around the world. The Christian church fathers hid them, because they were deemed heretical. Heretical means a notion that cannot be found in the Holy Scripture. It was very dangerous in those times to be a heretic. And that is what Ernesto was. He introduced Caterina, his beloved daughter, to his world of knowledge and heretical books. He also introduced Caterina to his alchemical laboratory and furnace.
Caterina tended the apothecary garden, watching the seeds grow and gathering needed supplies in the woods. She read Plato, Euripides, Homer, Xenophon, Ovid, Virgil, Livius and Cato. In appearances, Caterina and her father were devout Christians. They attended Mass, made communion, and swore allegiance to the pope and Rome. Ernesto took care of the friars at no charge- he said "it was better to be a living hypocrite than a dead truth teller." (page 17). In private, Ernesto called Caterina Cato, and they worshipped the natural world, the Elements and Cosmos. In time Caterina hit puberty and didn't deal with it very well. She began wandering more for longer periods of time, and that is how she met Piero, son of Antonio. With her hormones raging they decided they wanted to marry each other. Piero promised to ask his father's permission, and they made love that night. Caterina didn't hear from Piero the next day, and decided to find him. She ran into his brother Francesco, who told her it had gone badly. Caterina finds herself pregnant from the one night, but still Piero's wealthy family won't let them marry. After giving birth to a son, Piero and his father came to take him the next day. Piero had already married in that time, and the family wanted their only grandchild raised with them.
Caterina talks the family into letting her be his wet nurse, and she lives in the barn with him for two years. Only Francesco is kind to her- the rest of the family, including Piero and his barren wife, ignore her. Once it was time to wean him, Caterina was once again forced out. She moved back home with her father and picked up work again. She lived without her son for several years. Francesco would help her meet her son Leonardo in secret, and he still remembered her. Soon the family was too busy with the death of their grandfather, and Caterina brought Leonardo to live with them during the day. Ernesto and Caterina began teaching Leonardo what they already knew. They discovered during this time he had a gift for art and drawing, particularly parts of flowers and insects. It was very detailed work. Piero had moved to Florence, making his way up in the Notaries Guild, still had no children. Caterina wrote him and asked him to help find a patron for Leonardo to continue his art. He agreed, and so Leonardo leaves her again. The town was not kind to Caterina, after she had a bastard child. Soon she fell into misery again, missing her son. With her father she devises a great plan. She will dress herself as a man, with a horn to urinate in public. She will go open up an abandoned home her father had owned with Poggio, and open an apothecary shop. This way she will be safe as a man, and will be able to see Leonardo.
Caterina sets off on her adventure, now Cato The Apothecary and uncle to Leonardo. It takes her a few months to clean and set up her shop, and then she/he sets off to see Leonardo. Maestro Verrochio's bottega is where she found Leonardo working. He is quick to join in with her conspiracy and treats her as his uncle. Only in the privacy of her bedroom do they embrace and he can call her Mama. Leonardo is very talented and hansome and his work takes him far, but after a sodomy trial he becomes somewhat reclusive. He dissects the human body and draws all the intricate parts, is more concerned with being a philosopher than a Christian. He refused to hear mass, to eat animal meat, and he loved both men and women. Cato/Caterina frequently fears for him and his heretical beliefs and drawings.
Cato settles into life in Florence, and is soon friends with Lorenzo de' Medici and his family. They become patrons of her/his apothecary shop. With Cato's wealth of knowledge, he is welcomed into the Platonic Academy. Soon, mayhem erupts the peace of Florence as a priest, Fra Savonarola "The Prophet of Doom", spreads evil in the city of Florence and frightens the people. Lorenzo's brother Giovanni is murdered and Lorenzo soon after dies from gout, plunging the city into chaos. With the help of her son Leonardo, now in Milan with his friend Zoroastre, her father who has come back, Bianca Sforza the future Holy Roman Empress, and Pope Alexander, they work to bring down the evil Savonarola to honor Lorenzo and his great work. He was known as Lorenzo the Magnificent. Cato had fallen in love with Lorenzo and eventually had shared that she/he was actually Caterina, a female. They had fallen in love but never shared that in public.
They are successful in bringing Savonarola to justice, and it seems Caterina ends her days as a woman in Milan. I'm not sure if she ever returned to Florence once Lorenzo had died and The Great Work was done. It isn't known what age Caterina had Leonardo, but that he was taken from her at a day old. His father Piero never acknowledged or praised him, moving on with his career and own family. With such an educated grandfather and mother, I don't find it hard to believe his genius came from them and not his father. It was historically documented that several women dressed as men to be safer and have more rights and opportunities. It was highly dangerous for Caterina to attempt such a disguise but a mother's love can do amazing things. I am sure Leonardo was a highly complicated person, as many during that time experimented with their sexuality, alchemy and the occult. When Savonarola came to power, it threatened The Platonic Academy during this period of Italian Renaissance. Books had to be destroyed or hidden very well to avoid death. Lorenzo had been a patron of the Academy and that's why it is believable he was good friends and lovers with Caterina/Cato. This book had so much to cover I don't even know if I grazed the surface. I learned about Leonardo by learning about his mother and the time period and place he lived in. He worked beside other amazing artists like Botticelli.
This book was very sexual so I had to skip a bunch, I don't feel it is necessary to make a book good. I recommend if you have a strong stomach and are passionate about history and learning about new time periods and people. It was a creative way to tell a story about Leonardo da Vinci's mother who isn't well documented, about love, religion, knowledge and art.
I am on a Robin Maxwell streak- she breathes new life into stories I already thought I knew much about. This book is about the two princes Edward and Richard, children of King Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth Woodville. Upon the death of King Edward, Elizabeth was to be consort until Edward came of age to rule. Antony Rivers, the Queen's brother, was tutor to Edward. He was in movement as soon as word came that his brother in law the King was dead- he was to take Edward to his mother. On their way, he was taken by Richard Duke of Gloucester, the boy's other uncle, and Buckingham. Poor Edward had to watch his uncle and mentor taken away from him, and then ordered about by his uncle Richard whom he didn't know very well. Eventually an act was passed that bastardized the two boys, because King Edward had had a precontract to another woman before marrying Elizabeth Woodville. Because the boys were now illegitimate, Richard took the throne. The people of England were wary of him because he wasn't well known. The boys were placed in the Tower, and their mother and sisters fled to sanctuary.
As Warwick had been kingmaker of King Edward IV, Buckingham was there with Richard, likely pushing him to some of his decisions. The story is well known that the boys were either murdered or kidnapped and taken away. The boys were just 9 and 12 years old, Edward said to have been suffering badly from an ear problem. Edward had been placed in the Tower first alone, then they had persuaded Elizabeth to let Richard join his brother so he wouldn't be lonely. Two skeletons were found underneath a staircase and believed to be the boys' remains. Many believe it was Richard III that killed them or had them killed on his orders. Some say the boys could have been used to spread malicious gossip from his enemies against Richard, and therefore force him off the throne. While the boys are pivotal in the story, the two main characters were the eldest daughter Bessie (Elizabeth) and her friend and bookmaker's daughter, Nell Caxton. The two remain loyal friends, even throughout the chaos that ensues after the King's death. Nell is in love with Antony Rivers and greatly mourns his unjust death. In the book, Bessie has a crush on her very own uncle, Richard of Gloucester. When her brothers disappear she still doesn't believe in his guilt.
The author takes the story to an interesting spin, following Nell as she works as secretary to Margaret Beaufort. She is married to Lord Stanley and mother to Henry Tudor who lives across the sea. She pretends loyalty to the crown while working to place her son on the throne. While there, Nell discovers a secret passageway underneath and finds the two boys locked up. They are still alive; she seeks out her father and finds a way to speak to Bessie, and their release is in the works. Margaret Beaufort is busily arranging things for her son to make way to England, and to marry Bessie. She believes that by joining the houses of Lancaster and York, there will be peace where they have been at war for almost 100 years. The book gets somewhat exciting as the boys are safely taken and sent off to Margaret in Burgundy, the deceased King's sister. There are rumors in other books that they were raised there, and just one survived, later to be the pretender Perkin Warbeck.
Buckingham is killed among many others during this time, as is Richard III in battle against Henry Tudor. He takes the throne and he does marry Bessie. The book ends with Bessie, now Queen Elizabeth, talking to her friend Nell and her son Henry about the story of the princes in the tower. There were parts in the book that I found new and exciting, while others just plodded along in the story. The mystery will likely never be answered as to whether the boys were murdered or not. I find it likely they were by someone, because too much was at stake for them to live. For Henry Tudor to take the throne, he wouldn't have wanted the boys around either. So I'm sure by taking the throne, he had to have known they were already dead. And perhaps, like the author thought, his mother may have been a part of that.
I loved this book and I have to start by saying that. I love all things Anne Boleyn- I feel like I repeat that a lot. But I love that Robin Maxwell told a book just on her time in France. It seems to be the least told part of her life so it was fascinating. That is what is so exciting about historical fiction- reading a bunch of information, looking at the facts and then trying to tie it all in together with your own interpretation of what would have been said or done at that time. I enjoyed Anne in this story, because it was before she was known to be "shrill, ambitious, etc." She starts out young at about 9 years old, and follows Mary and soon to be Queen Marie to Louis of France. She stays there through the death of Louis and then Francois and his Queen Claude. She serves Queen Claude who is extremely pious and religious. She teaches her much about being a queen and staying dignified in the face of a husband's betrayal. Francois's sister Marguerite of Navarre comes to court with her mother, and Anne often follows the trio to learn more about court and politics.
While Anne is gaining an education in court and politics, her sister Mary flirts her way around in Marguerite's circle. They play cards, talk and laugh much. Anne is eventually allowed into her circle and serves Marguerite as well as Claude. From Marguerite she learns about religious heresies and books that are condemned but have interesting ideas. Anne's parents are not at all central in her world, her father having sent her and only sends letters for instructions. It hardly mentions her mother at all. Anne starts to pen pal her brother George, and she becomes close to him while being apprised of the court in England. She learns through him about Queen Katherine and her unhappy husband King Henry. Mary is eventually ordered by their father to be mistress to King Francois. Anne unhappily watches her sister be ordered about, rewarded only with jewels and silks and a room of her own. It seems Anne is not tainted while at the French court, although I'm sure she sees and hears more than any child ever should.
She also meets another interesting person instrumental to her learning- Leonardo da Vinci. As a patron of the arts, King Francois had brought him at court to live. The author assumes it is likely they met and perhaps developed a friendship, and it made for an interesting part of the book. He teaches Anne how to remain a virgin while not appearing to be in charge. King Francois does try to seduce her at one point but she is able to survive with her wits. She learns how to hold a man at bay- I can't help but think of how this later plays out with King Henry. Anne again sees her father, mother and brother at the meeting of the two great kings in Calais. It is known as the Field of the Cloth of Gold- an alliance was to be made to not make war. Cardinal Wolsey was instrumental in this meeting as was Anne's father. During this time, a few important things happen. Anne meets King Henry, her future husband, and Henry Carey, her first love. Mary also comes under scrutiny again by both kings. She is now married to William Carey, but after the two kings actually come to blows over her, she is again ordered by her father to now be mistress to King Henry. Anne has learned by now that a woman is at the mercy of her husband and father. It isn't likely to find a marriage of love or happiness.
After all is said and done with Anne's story in England, she was instrumental in the religious teachings in England. She had influence with Henry and was able to introduce Lutheran texts, and helped to create the divide from Rome. Anne brought about the "New Religion" with the Protestant Reformation and fall of Cardinal Wolsey. I highly recommend this book if you want to learn more about Anne and her earlier life. I loved the book and soaked up every word. I very much enjoyed learning about France and its customs. They were a court loose in morals, so something to watch for if you read this book.
I have quite a full bookshelf, not just books but odds and ends, trinkets and globes. So I was rifling through it looking for something new to read, and found this treasure. I don't know why I owned it but hadn't read it. So of course, loving Anne Boleyn and the Tudors as I do, I devoured it pretty quickly. It seems even when I think I know her story pretty well, and the people in her life at that time, each author has a little different perspective. The author, Robin Maxwell, pictured her father as quite unloving and ambitious, whereas if you have seen the movie The Other Boleyn Girl he is shown to be tender towards Anne. Her mother seems to be shown usually as not involved or particularly motherly, which this author stuck with. Her relationship with her brother George by most if not all, is that they were close. Mary her sister is described as flirtatious but dull. She ends up choosing love with a farmer, defying her family and incurring their displeasure to end her days in the country. It seems although not ambitious or wily as her sister Anne, that Mary made the safer choice. Anne will always be so interesting because I will never know for sure what she was like.
I won't go over her entire story and life as I'm sure in other books I have, but will contemplate all I've read about her and what I think. I think she was flirtatious but knew when to back off and maintain decency, which was a past time she learned at the French court. I think she caught the eye of the King, a prize bigger than any with more at stake. Once he was infatuated with her, it seems to me she had no choice to say no or back off. He had been in a marriage for decades with Katherine of Aragon, with only one living child, a girl. He was probably tired of his wife and unhappy that he had no male children. Anne was not said to be beautiful, as she was dark and not light, and had very enchanting eyes. I'm sure this unfamiliar look combined with her intellect and wit, drew the King to her. I do think Anne was ambitious, haughty and even rude to those inferior to her. But I don't think she deserved her fate. I believe once they were finally wed, after the separation of England from the Pope and Rome and everything he had done to wed Anne, that the sheen on their relationship had already faded. How could anyone attempt to please a King alone when their sole occupation was to bear children? Of course King Henry's eyes roved and found other women to entertain him.
One big event was when Anne gave birth to Elizabeth, a girl. After everything that had transpired, the long years of waiting and all the trials they endured- it was not a boy. I believe then King Henry became angry and lashed out at Anne. Of course we know today it isn't a woman's fault but in that time they blamed the woman for the sex of the baby. Anne was not raised to be a queen, and she did not have the bearing or temperament for one. I think she became shrill (which was often a word authors used to describe her), she became frantic and emotional. I am sure she knew just how careful she had to be to give the King a boy heir, while seeing her husband of such a short time already being unfaithful. I can see why she acted as she did, but it did not help her cause. It just pushed the King further away from her. Possibly from stress and an unknown disease or sickness, Anne was not able to bear anymore children. The downfall for Anne began when she had a girl, and quickly sped up with her temper tantrums to the King.
I feel pity for her of course for being accused with adultery and even incest, for being married to a man that did not stay faithful or loving towards her for long. She lost all her friends and supporters, abandoned by her family, leaving her poor daughter to be beheaded for her crimes. To know her husband was killing her, after everything he had done to marry her, is unbelievable. This is why I believe so many are drawn to that time period and Anne. To try and think what she thought, did what she did. She was no saint- after all, she did supplant the Queen and had Mary bastardized. So she was no innocent, but certainly not an adulterer as accused. I do find much satisfaction in the fact that Elizabeth later ruled for over 40 years, and hers was a Golden Age. I do hope Anne was able to find satisfaction and peace in her daughter's reign. Just because I find Anne and The Tudors fascinating does not mean I turn a blind eye to their faults. I don't think Anne was a very nice person, but I find her intriguing. There is a quote I saw on pinterest I just love and will close with.
This is the last Freda Lightfoot book I could find at the library, and this one should actually be read before the others. It is once again in sixteenth century France, and follows Margot as a young child of 12. Catherine de Medici, her mother, is frightening to all her children save her favorite, Henri. Charles is King with his mother as consort, and she holds a lot of power and control over him. He often has bouts of madness that only his nurse, wife or Margot can control. There are two other brothers, Henri of Anjou and Francois-Hercule, the Duke of Alencon. They are all at each others' throats, suspicious of the other and their mother. Margot is beautiful and young but still a pawn in her mother's game. She also has a sister Claude but she is not really pivotal in the book. Her elder sister Elisabeth was married to King Phillip of Spain, who was a powerful enemy. Phillip wanted Queen Catherine to persecute the Protestants, who became known as the Huguenots. Catherine was devoutly Catholic but also had no wish to persecute them so heavily as Spain wished. She had many powerful Protestant friends and allies. As always in these times and also these books, religion was a major factor and peace not easily achieved.
Margot was in love with Henry, the Duke of Guise. He was a Bourbon prince and should have been heir to the throne. His parents were Francis Guise and Anne d'Este. His uncle was the Cardinal of Lorraine. Henry's father, Francis Guise, had been killed. It was believed to be Coligny, son of a Huguenot. Catherine strove to get these two sides to make peace and make up, but it did not work. The Prince de Conde was sided with the leader Coligny and the Huguenot cause, and the Duke of Guise with his uncle and the Catholics.
Madame de Curton was Margot's nurse and closest friend. Her mother Queen Catherine was certainly not close to her. When her sister Elisabeth died after childbirth, her mother tried to see if Phillip would marry her, if not then Don Carlos. She was terrified of marrying someone like that, being so in love with Guise as she was. At court Henry of Navarre, Jeanne de'Albret's son, was there. After failing to find a suitable match for Margot, the Queen bid Margot to marry him. She was unhappy at the match because of his hygiene and her love for Guise. But she had to do as she was told and so they prepared to be married. Paris was immediately overflowing with Catholics and Huguenots, each suspicious of the other. It didn't take long for the recipe to spell disaster. The people were upset at Margot not marrying Guise, a Bourbon prince and Catholic. They weren't happy to see her marry a Huguenot. Charles was worried about war with Spain, and of upsetting the Guises. He was worried the Pope could excommunicate him for letting his sister marry a Huguenot. With the help of his mother's planning and conspiracies, he fell into a panic.
An assassin was hired to kill Coligny, who was still believed to have killed the Duke of Guise's father. After he was killed, it was planned for the other Huguenot leaders to also be dispatched. But the killing soon became out of control as people joined in all over. It became known as the St. Bartholomew's Massacre, happening very soon after the wedding of Margot and Henry of Navarre. The blame has been placed largely at Queen Catherine's feet. Navarre demanded protection for the Protestants but was helpless to help himself or anyone else. After thousands were killed, King Charles seemed to go quite mad with everything that had happened and the guilt he felt. He was already weak and his mother feared for him while also hopeful for her favorite son to be King. The King of Spain seemed somewhat mollified with her efforts to smash the Huguenots, but England was appalled and Queen Elizabeth refused the suits of her sons. Anjou was soon sent to Poland to be King until he was needed. Meanwhile, Margot and her husband Henry of Navarre were imprisoned in the palace. Suspicious of him and his religion, the Queen kept a close eye on him.
The couple seemed to soon strike an accord where they didn't have to be faithful to one another, and were just good friends. Henry had his lovers as did Margot. Margot was always caught in the middle of all her brothers, trying to keep the peace. She tried to keep Charles calm when he was in one of his bouts of madness, while trying to help her youngest brother Alencon. Alencon and Henry became good friends, probably out of mutual dislike for the Queen. They made a few attempts to flee but were usually found out. Charles dies from a lung illness, and Anjou is sent for from Poland. He makes his way back leisurely, and only fulfills his duties as King lightly. He is quite the fop and very effeminate. He is bisexual, loves small dogs, and is always primped and perfumed and is not thrifty at all. He spends the money likes it's water and pushes heavier taxes on the people. He is not well liked at all, and soon Catherine sees he won't let her rule him as she did Charles. Henri is also not nice to Margot, always suspicious of her and her relationship with his brother Alencon and her husband Henry. He cruelly spreads rumors about her, has her lovers killed or imprisoned, and refuses to let her or her husband or brother leave.
The Queen forces the Prince of Conde and Henry of Navarre to become Catholic or be killed. They do to save their heads, but still fear for their lives. Margot soon realizes her marriage to Henry of Navarre must have been just to lead all the Huguenots to Paris. Had it all been a trap? Her mother always had her reasons which she kept to herself. Soon, a conspiracy to escape finally worked. Alencon and Henry had been allowed a little more freedom to move around, and so they hatched another plan. Henry of Navarre was off, leaving Margot behind until it was safe for her to follow. Following her husband's escape, Margot was once more imprisoned and kept closely watched. She had no friends except her nurse. Her lover and favorite Guise was married and off busy. Anjou declared himself the leader of the Catholic League and persuaded his brother Alencon to join him as well. Alencon abandoned his pursuit of the Politiques and joined the League instead.
Eventually Margot is no longer a political hostage or necessity, and her brother Henri allows her to join her husband Henry of Navarre. The south belonged to Navarre, the eastern to Henri and central to Alencon. Margot still loved her Guise, the Bourbon Prince. He could very well be King one day, as it was unlikely Henri would leave an heir or Alencon, both being weak like Charles had been. And if Margot and Henry of Navarre didn't produce an heir, then it would be Guise. The book ends with Margot returning to Henry and starting her life with him, away from her poisonous brother Henri and her mother the Queen.
My Thoughts: Since I had read the other books first, I knew Margot's passionate nature and relationship with Henry of Navarre and her favorite Guise. It was good to get the start to their story and how religion played such a role in their lives. I did get confused at the Huguenots and Catholics who was on which side, but eventually it all clicked. Catherine is more a mystery to me than her daughter Margot- she seemed to be religiously tolerant but then ended up creating such mayhem and butchery by having the Huguenot leaders killed. She also placed Margot and Henry of Navarre together, a Huguenot marrying a Catholic. Whether she planned all along for the Massacre to take place or just planned on having him convert to Catholicism, who knows. But she definitely used all her children as pawns, and her hand was always at work politically. Her three oldest sons became kings of France, two daughters married Kings, one a duke. She outlived all her children except Henri by just several months, and Margot. Henry of Guise was eventually assassinated by orders of King Henri, Anjou. Margot and Henry of Navarre's relationship is interesting to watch unfold. They became friends more than lovers, imprisoned by her mother and brother. I'm sure this gave them time to develop a respect and alliance, even if they weren't faithful to each other. The characters are enough to keep you busy without all the political doings and religious works going on. It was a good read, more details to pay attention to in this than the other books. Margot seems to have been unfortunate in her family, with no close friends other than Guise and Navarre for a time. A very powerful but dissolute family with loose morals, profligate spending and big ambitions. Enough to keep you entertained and wanting to read more.
Another Freda Lightfoot book which I devoured in just days. For some reason this one just pulled me right in and I read it so fast. Dorothy Jordan lives with her mother and siblings in Dublin, their father leaving them in near poverty. Her father was a captain in the navy and by marrying their mother was considered to have married below his station. They stayed together for 16 years and had several children, until he married an Irish heiress. Their parents had never bothered to legitimize their marriage, so her mother was left with financial troubles and the children to care for. She encouraged Dora to follow in her footsteps at acting to help support the family. Her mother and sister helped to write down her lines and worked with her on her scripts and songs. Unfortunately her manager took advantage of her and blackmailed her when she borrowed money from him for her family. At just age 14-15 she was the breadwinner of the family. She found herself pregnant and still in increasing debt to the horrible Mr. Richard Daly, when she finally told her mother that she had been repeatedly raped. They left in the early morning, leaving her costumes and wages behind which were sorely needed. They left Ireland, walking many days and miles.
With the contact and help of an old friend, Dora started acting at Leeks and eventually York. She was great at comedy, not so much with tragedy, which is what a lot of audiences enjoyed. Audiences loved her wit, expressions, songs and seeing her in breeches and cross dressing roles. Unfortunately there were always those out to compete with her, spreading nasty rumors of her unmarried state. During this time Daly found her and sent her a notice of a huge amount to pay back or else be put in debtors prison. A friend paid off the debt for her so she could start clean again. She gave birth to Fanny a daughter, and her mother watched her while she worked. Her sister helped her with her costumes, hair and learning her lines. Dora was quickly noticed by an agent from London that came to watch her performances. She was eventually asked to star at Drury Lane, and off they went to sink or swim together as a family. Sketches were made of her and she became quite famous. She met Richard Ford, the co-proprietor's son. They fell in love not long after and started living together. He had to prove to his father that she was worthy before marrying her. They had three children together, one a stillborn son. Ford was a lawyer and police magistrate. He promised to marry her and so they pretended to the world that they were. Her sister still cared for her children after her mother passing away. Her brothers were away at school and such but she still had to pay their expenses or part of it. After over 5 years of no marriage taking place and Ford increasing in his career, she finds herself questioning Ford's motives. Did he really wish to marry her or just wanted her money?
During this time, she meets the Duke of Clarence, third in line to the throne. They strike a friendship and he falls in love with her and asks her to be his mistress. Because of the Royal Marriages Act, the royal family couldn't marry just anyone. Actresses were often thought of as promiscuous anyway because of their line of work. The Duke wished to show she was respectable to his family. They bought a home or two to live in in between her work acting, and eventually had 10 children together. He had served in the Navy and tried to engage himself in similar pursuits as he had no occupation. The King had bouts of madness and would never approve of Dora, nor did the Queen. Dora was never invited to royal functions, nor were her children until she was close to retiring. She worked very hard, often going on progress which was tiring, especially after Drury Theatre burnt down. She had a large family to keep up, her generosity and hate of debt spreading her thin. She also provided for the Duke and her siblings and a large home that was being renovated, as well as her sister and 13 children. Her sister raised her three eldest children, Daly and Ford's daughters. The stain of illegitimacy began to bother her children as they got older. It seems history repeated itself and she was sure her mother would have been heartbroken to see this. The Duke often asked her to retire from acting, but she had to go back when money ran low. The royal family spent money like water, and their debts weren't settled unless they married.
After over 20 years of happiness together and 10 children, the Duke tells Dora he has been asked by his mother to marry to produce legitimate heirs. His father was over 70 and quite mad, and his brother had no wish to return to his wife and the next in line was barren. So he felt the responsibility fall upon him as third in line for the regency. Dora's daughters were invited to court with their father, and eventually Dora was left alone with just her career for comfort. She was able to see her children on holidays and received letters from them. She died in 1816 from liver disease with just her children's old governess with her. Upon her death it was said the Duke grieved very much for her and couldn't hear her name spoken aloud for years. He kept pictures of her up at their old family home in Bushy, so the children could see. He married Adelaide of Saixe-Meiningen and came to the throne as William IV in 1830. It was a happy marriage but no legitimate heirs were produced. Dora's eldest, Fanny, later died of laudanum probably suicide. Dora's other children were welcomed into society and married into the aristocracy, which Dora would have been most proud of.
My Thoughts: Dora was such a strong, amazing and patient woman. Her generosity seems to have been her downfall as well as her trust in men. She was not lucky in love. For that I was most unhappy for her. She was a career woman and probably missed out on a lot of her children's lives. She did sound to have been devoted as she could be, probably exhausting herself with her many roles in life. The abuse at Daly's hands was so hard to read, and I wish he had some vengeance visited upon him for being so horrible a person. I am glad she did well and became famous and made people laugh. She was obviously extremely talented, funny, generous, hard working and more. I admired her pluck and courage in the face of such a busy and trying life. Money was the root of all evil; she always needed it to help secure her future and her children's. I hope she had a comfortable retirement but rather likely she didn't. It is too bad Ford never married her and even worse that the Duke couldn't marry her either. I find it spineless of him for not supporting her better financially or doing more for her. After all, to have 10 children together and 20 years and then just have it all end like that....very tragic. I understand actresses were assumed to be like harlots but I'm sure many weren't. It was a very hard line of work and I'm sure they deserved every penny they made. It was sad to see Dora kind of repeat her mother's story of not marrying and making her position secure. Very interesting book, loved the character and entertaining to read. Not a lot of political details to get stuck in so a fast and easy read.
Another book by Freda Lightfoot, and I seem to have read it in good order. After The Reluctant Queen this book follows King Henry of Navarre after the death of his mistress Gabrielle d'Estrees. He doesn't mourn her long and soon finds himself infatuated with Henriette d'Entragues. She is passionate, needy and ambitious- dangerous in a mistress. She manages to weedle him into writing up a document saying he would make her queen if she gave him a son within a year. Henriette kept this document with her ambitious father in the hopes of securing her future. She is pregnant not long after, but Henry's advisers already have him set up to marry an Italian princess, Marie de Medici. The treasury needs her fortune and the alliance. They marry not long after, and Henriette is furious. She gives birth to a stillborn son and in defiance of the King's marriage, goes away for a time.
Henriette often played the game of leaving in a storm, waiting for the King to miss her, and then come to her or invite her back to court. Queen Marie is very unhappy at meeting his mistress, especially when he is given rooms almost as sumptuous just below her. The Queen has just two friends left from Italy with her, and they often feed her bad advice and much gossip. Not long after their marriage, they are off to a bad start. The Queen lets jealousy and anger poison her and make her bitter. Henriette and Marie both are pregnant at the same time, and both give birth to a son. Henriette still has the document, and starts to conspiring with her father on brother on how to make her son the Dauphin. The two boys are in the same nursery with Gabrielle's children, and this makes the Queen furious. That her husband's illegitimate child from Henriette, her rival, should be alongside the dauphin her son. King Henry is often quarrelling with both women and trying to keep the peace. Although he had vices of gambling, women and such he was known to be good to his people and thrifty so as to keep them happy.
The Queen has three more children, and Henriette one more, a girl. The book brings back Marguerite, Queen Margot that had been imprisoned at Usson for 19 years and the King's former wife. She still has contacts at court that keep her updated and feed her gossip, some of which she passes along to the King about Henriette. A storm soon ensues, because Henriette is caught in a conspiracy against the King. She has been communicating with Spain about the document she has from the King. Henriette manages to come out unscathed and continues as the King's mistress. Much to the Queen's fury and also the King's advisor, who also dislikes her. Since Margot had helped in bringing this information to light, she persuades the King to let her return to court. She is 50 now and heavier, but still beautiful. The people welcome her happily and she is soon set up nicely with her own small court with entertainments, masques and ballets. People start mimicking her fashion and flocking to her parties. Queen Marie is not happy to have to deal with an ex wife who is so popular, as well as his mistress.
The King becomes tired after pleading with Henriette to give him the document back as she refuses. He gives her an income and mansions and a title, to help her feel secure if anything should happen to him. The King often suffered from bouts of illness which laid him low and made everyone nervous what should happen if he died. The Queen is finally given a coronation after being married so long and having four children. Henriette notices the King is losing interest in her, and again involves herself with her father and brother's help, in plots. A letter was found from the King of Spain stating that if the King should die, France would be invaded by troops and the Duke of Lennox would take Province while Philip III recognized Henriette or La Dauphin's son, the heir to the throne. He also discovers she has not been faithful to him, but neither has he. The King is assassinated not long after these investigations and Henriette's removal from court, by a religious fanatic. The people mourn him deeply as well as Margot and the Queen. His sister had also died before him. It was sad that he should be killed by a fanatic when he had been so tolerant of religion. He practiced as a Protestant like his mother, and later as a Catholic to keep his crown safe. He didn't believe it mattered the religion you were as long as you believed in God. He was also good with all his children and good to the poor. Many called him the greatest King France ever had.
Queen Marie was named regent, and formed a friendship with Margot. All his children from Gabrielle, Henriette, the Queen and others were together in the nursery upon the King's wishes. The Queen had Henriette questioned more thoroughly for her plots. The letter was found and destroyed, her father and brother imprisoned and then later released. Henriette is eventually put in the Bastille after house arrest with her sister, because they believe her plots with Spain preceded the death of the King. She had allied herself with Guise to conspire against the King they said. The Queen had Henriette banished from Court, without her children, and never gave her permission to marry. She died 23 years later at age 55, alone and unmourned. Margot lived to 62 and died of pneumonia.
My Thoughts: I enjoyed this book as I got to know Henry Quatre, or King Henry of Navarre more. He was obviously a fickle and unloyal man as it only took him months after his beloved Gabrielle's death to move on to another. He seemed bewitched by Henriette for a long time, enduring her tempter tantrums, cat and mouse games and greediness. He often pursued a woman that he wanted, marrying her off to some old nobleman so there were no complications. I did like his religious tolerance and generosity to his people. I wasn't sure if I liked Queen Marie because it focused so much on her being bitter and jealous. Of course I felt bad for her but I didn't feel I got to know her more than that. Margot was interesting to read about again, and it was nice to see her enjoy life again after such a long imprisonment, and to become friends with the Queen and be a godmother to her son Gaston. Henriette was a very flighty and emotional woman, and I did not like her. I wonder how the Queen did as regent and what followed for her, but perhaps that is in the next book.
