Synopses & Reviews
As Henry VIII's only child, the future seemed golden for Princess Mary. She was the daughter of Henry's first queen, Katharine of Aragon, and was heir presumptive to the throne of England. Red-haired like her father, she was also intelligent and deeply religious like her staunchly Catholic mother. But her father's ill-fated love for Anne Boleyn would shatter Mary's life forever. The father who had once adored her was now intent on having a male heir at all costs. He divorced her mother and, at the age of twelve, Mary was banished from her father’ s presence, stripped of her royal title, and replaced by his other children--first Elizabeth, then Edward. Worst of all, she never saw her beloved mother again; Katharine was exiled too, and died soon after. Lonely and miserable, Mary turned for comfort to the religion that had sustained her mother.
In a stroke of fate, however, Henry's much-longed-for son died in his teens, leaving Mary the legitimate heir to the throne. It was, she felt, a sign from God--proof that England should return to the Catholic Church. Swayed by fanatical advisors and her own religious fervor, Mary made horrific examples of those who failed to embrace the Church, earning her the immortal nickname " Bloody Mary." She was married only once, to her Spanish cousin Philip II--a loveless and childless marriage that brought her to the edge of madness.
With In the Shadow of the Crown, Jean Plaidy brings to life the dark story of a queen whose road to the throne was paved with sorrow.
Synopsis
The daughter of Henry IV of France, Princess Henrietta Maria, becomes a pawn in a political strategy to stabilize relations between two countries when her father marries her to Charles I of England. Sent abroad, she finds herself living in a Protestant country that views her own faith—Catholicism—with deep suspicion.
Yet her new husband is a man of principle and integrity, and Henrietta and Charles fall deeply in love. Henrietta is passionate about her faith, however, and soon politically powerful people, namely Oliver Cromwell and his Puritans, turn her loyalty to her religion into a focal point for civil war. As the royal couple watch the fall of Thomas Wentworth, first Earl of Strafford, the rise of Puritanism, and Englishmen fight Englishmen, they are undeterred in their dedication to each other and in their belief in the divine rights of king and queen—even as spies lurk in their very own household.
Loyal in Love offers an inside look at an unforgettable time in Englands history and at the life of a queen whose story of devotion and bravery has gone untold for too long.
About the Author
JEAN PLAIDY is the pen name of the prolific English author Eleanor Hibbert, also known as Victoria Holt. More than fourteen million copies of her books have been sold worldwide. Visit www.CrownHistorical.com to learn of other Jean Plaidy titles available from Three Rivers Press.
Reading Group Guide
1. At the beginning of
Loyal in Love, Henriette takes responsibility for her husbands death, saying it was her many mistakes that led to his execution. Considering her actions throughout the novel, how much blame for Charless troubles can be laid at her feet?
2. Through the course of the novel, who is revealed to be Henriettes greatest enemy?
3. What kind of a child was Henriette? How does her behavior as a princess of France affect the rest of her life? Do you think that she change as the novel progresses?
4. What role does the nursemaid Mamie play in Henriettes life? How does that role evolve over time?
5. What is Henriettes first impression of England? What does she think of Charles? How does the incident involving Mamie and the Royal Coach on pages 74—76 set the stage for the tumultuous early years of their life together?
6. What is the cause of the rift between Charless friend and adviser Buckingham and the queen? How does his death change her relationship with her husband? What brings Henriette and Charles closer? Did the king make the right decision when he sent her French retinue home?
7. Religion is a constant source of strife between Henriette and Charles, and each hopes the other will convert. What do the English people think about Charless Catholic queen and her influence over him? Do you think Henriette should have converted to help Charles? Do you think it would have mattered if she had? In a similar situation, would you consider religious conversion?
8. Do you think Charles was a good husband? Do you think he was a good king? Why might these two things be mutually exclusive? How does his desire to please Henriette contribute to their downfall?
9. Why does Parliament make the Earl of Strafford an example in its war with the king? What do Charles and Henriette do in an attempt to save him? Why do they fail? Having promised him that he would not be executed, why does Charles eventually sign Straffords death warrant? Does this have the effect he hoped?
10. Henriettes lady, Lucy Hay, reveals Charless plan to arrest key members of the faction against him to Parliament, thwarting his attempt to regain control. Did you suspect Lucy Hay of treachery? Why didnt Henriette suspect something when she learned that Lucy was under the influence of John Pym?
11. Is Henriette successful in her trip to find help from the Dutch king? What is the state of affairs in England when she returns?
12. Discuss the poignant scene on pages 308 and 309 in which Elizabeth and Henry visit their father just before he is executed.
13. How does Henriette take the news of Charless death? How is she treated upon her return to France? Aside from the loss of Charles, what do you think is the hardest part of living in exile in her old homeland?
14. From the moment of his birth, Henriettes son Charles seems different than other children: stronger, bolder, and more alert to the world around him. Do you think he was more suited to be king than his ill-fated father?
15. Is Henriettes return to England once Charles has reclaimed the throne as glorious as she hoped it would be? What mars it for her? How does she find life as the Queen Mother? How do Charles and her other children feel about the Catholic faith that is so important to their mother?
16. By the end of the novel, what lesson has Henriette learned about herself?
Their marriage had more to do with affairs of state than matters of the heart, but somehow the haughty French princess Henriette Marie grew to love her husband, the reserved King Charles of England. Fraught with perils beyond even the Crowns control, theirs was a love tossed and torn by war and a marriage that ended in tragedy. In Loyal in Love, Henriette tells her story at last-admitting her flaws, sharing her joys and sorrows, and remembering the sweet and honest man she loved, a man too good to be king. This guide is a starting point for discussion of Jean Plaidys classic tale of a womans lasting loyalty.