Tamsin Lodge is 13 years old when her father dies, leaving
her at the mercy of the king's will. Her new guardian,
planning to use Tamsin to advance his own status in the
court, arranges for her to serve in the entourage of the
king's daughter, Princess Mary Tudor. Tamsin's fears are
soon exchanged for wonder and excitement as she settles into
her new position and develops a fierce loyalty to the
princess. Before long, though, her guardian appears again,
ordering Tamsin to do whatever it takes to catch the king's
eye and earn his favor.
THE KING'S DAMSEL takes place during one of the most
tumultuous times in Henry VIII's long reign. During these
years, the king leaves his wife, Catherine of Aragon; strips
his daughter of her title; marries his mistress Anne Boleyn;
and begins to seek a way to rid himself of his new bride.
Amid this chaos, Tamsin Lodge vows to give her life for Mary
Tudor, and indeed, she risks her life by becoming a spy for
the king's daughter.
I'm no historian, but I was inspired by "The Tudors"
television series to read up on the period. Letters and
other documents of the time record the intimacies of Henry's
court. Author Kate Emerson skillfully weaves actual events
into the compelling story of a young woman who uses her
intelligence and her body to gain some power over her own
life. She paints a vivid picture of life in a royal
household, from the pageantry of traveling with the king to
the day-to-day drudgery of servitude to the princess.
THE KING'S DAMSEL is told from Tamsin's point of view. As a
delicately bred young woman, she knows some of the seamier
details of the world, but she doesn't talk about them in
graphic detail. Even her affair with the king is handled
with taste and sensitivity. I can easily recommend THE
KING'S DAMSEL
novel for mature young readers as well as adults who are
interested in a good story centered within deeply personal
events that changed the course of history.
In the fifth novel in Kate Emerson’s highly acclaimed
Secrets of the Tudor Court series, a young
gentlewoman catches King Henry the Eighth’s roving eye.
In 1533 and again in 1534, Henry the Eighth reportedly kept
a mistress while he was married to Anne Boleyn. Now, that
mistress comes to vivid life in Kate Emerson’s The King’s
Damsel.
A real-life letter from Spanish Ambassador Eustace Chapuys,
written on September 27, 1534, reported that the king had
“renewed and increased the love he formerly bore to another
very handsome young lady of the Court” and that the queen
had tried “to dismiss the damsel from her service.” Other
letters reveal that the mystery woman was a “true friend” of
the Princess (later Queen) Mary, Henry’s daughter by
Catherine of Aragon. Though no one knows who “the king’s
damsel” really was, here Kate Emerson presents her as young
gentlewoman Thomasine Lodge, a lady-in-waiting to King
Henry’s daughter, Princess Mary. Thomasine becomes the
Princess’s confidante, especially as Henry’s marriage to
Catherine dissolves and tensions run high. When the king
procures a divorce in order to marry Anne Boleyn, who is
suspicious and distrustful of Mary, Mary has Thomasine
placed in Anne’s service to be her eyes and ears. And that’s
when she gets the attention of the king...
Rich in historical detail and featuring a wealth of bonus
material, The King’s Damsel is sure to keep readers
coming back for more.
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