Ursula Blanchard Mystery at Queen Elizabeth I's Court
2 total works
Continuing the adventures of Ursula Blanchard, lady in waiting and undercover spy at the court of Queen Elizabeth I. The country seems to be flourishing under Elizabethan rule, but Ursula's strange double life shows us the cracks in this robust facade. The novel opens as Ursula is taught the secrets of lockpicking; soon she is sent to use these and other skills at Lockhill, a household suspected of disloyalty. New tapestries purporting to be antiques; coins that are lighter than they ought to be; strange bird like contraptions and boxes that play tunes nothing seems quite as it should be at Lockhill. And as Ursula begins to piece together the clues, she realises that there could be terrifying consequences for the country...But although she is devoted to her Queen, Ursula is not now an entirely free agent. She has given her heart to Matthew De La Roche, a catholic. And when her husband turns out to have a connection with Lockhill, she is confronted with a very 20th century dilemma, which should come 1st, her career or her emotions? And should she save her beloved husband, or herself and her country?
The weave of period detail, mystery plot and pacing with a Great heroine and a real emotional dilemma results in a novel thats a rich tapestry of Elizabethan England and a cracking good read.
The weave of period detail, mystery plot and pacing with a Great heroine and a real emotional dilemma results in a novel thats a rich tapestry of Elizabethan England and a cracking good read.
With historical mysteries and tales of Tudor England in high demand, acclaimed author Fiona Buckley returns with a poignant new novel featuring Ursula Blanchard, waiting woman and secret agent for Queen Elizabeth I. Still loyal to her royal mistress but needing to be with her French husband, Matthew de la Roche, Ursula begins to build a new life for herself at Matthew's chateau. She loves Matthew, although she longs desperately for her little girl, Meg, left behind in England. But when Meg's passage is finally arranged, the child is missing. Where is she, and could her disappearance be part of a plot to tempt Ursula back to her homeland? Frightened for her child, Ursula follows a trail that leads to the home of the ancient Mortimer family, the mysterious Vetch Castle, a grim, haunted keep on the Welsh border. There she finds castle owner Philip Mortimer, who boasts that he will force Queen Elizabeth to restore the fortunes of his once-great family. There, too, Ursula finds Philip's mother, the aging but still beautiful Lady Thomasine, who is frightened by her son's claims and pleads for Ursula's help in discovering what it is that he knows. What deadly secrets does this castle hide? What ghostly faces look from the windows of the deserted southwest tower? What has Philip Mortimer discovered? The secrets of Vetch Castle could be dangerous, especially if they concern the Queen -- dangerous to the Mortimers and to Ursula and those she loves, as she soon learns to her peril. Richly evocative of its rugged English and Welsh setting, precise in its historical detail, and filled with memorable characters, To Ruin a Queen will affirm Fiona Buckley's growing reputation as aqueen of historical crime.