Victoria Lamb reminds her readers of the perils of the Elizabethan court. Although Henry VIII's daughter with Anne Boleyn is now queen, there are those who still desire a Catholic monarch. When the queen visits her favorite, Robert Dudley, at his fantastic castle, Kenilworth, Dudley plans fabulous entertainments and excitement to lavish on his royal sweetheart. But the queen's visit to Kenilworth is ruined when spy master Francis Walsingham smells a murder plot.
When Queen Elizabeth arrives at Kenilworth, she vows to keep her heart from giving into the only man she has ever loved. However, Robert Dudley will stop at nothing to have the queen agree to a marriage before she leaves Kenilworth. But Dudley's roving eye and his lust for the queen's beautiful cousin, Lettice Knollys, could not only thwart his plans, but also enrage the queen's whose cruelty befits her as the daughter of Henry VIII.
I loved how Victoria Lamb managed to enthrall readers with a fabulously-written royal romance, sprinkled with a heavy dose of mystery, plotting, and charming characters. THE QUEEN'S SECRET not only presents a riveting romance between Robert Dudley and Queen Elizabeth, but also tells the story of Lucy Morgan, an African singer, who is singled out by both the queen and Dudley to spy on the other. Although Lucy is immensely grateful for Dudley's generosity, lying to the queen is treason and could cost her her head.
In the court of Queen Elizabeth I, romance and intrigue
could cost you more than your heart⦠It could cost you your
head.
July, 1575: Elizabeth I, Queen of England, arrives at
Kenilworth Castleβhome of Robert Dudley, the Earl of
Leicester. Leicester, who has long had ambitions to marry
the Queen, knows this may be his very last chance to
persuade her to marry him. Toward this end, the hopeful earl
has organized a lavish week of music, dancing, and fireworks.
Despite his attachment to the Queen and his driving ambition
to be her King, Leicester is unable to resist the seductive
wiles of Lettice, wife of the Earl of Essexβand the queenβs
own cousin. Soon whispers of their relationship start
spreading through the court. Enraged by their growing
intimacy, Elizabeth employs Lucy Morgan, a young African
singer and court entertainer, to spy on the adulterous lovers.
But Lucy, who was raised by a spy in London, uncovers far
more than she bargains for. For someone at Kenilworth is
plotting to kill the queen. No longer able to tell friend
from foe, it is soon not only the queen who is in mortal
dangerβbut Lucy herselfβ¦
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