by G Lawrence
The part where Elizabeth meets a young William Shakespeare is based on a charming story. I have no idea if it is true, and I doubt it is possible to prove either way. Men of Stratford did come to Kenilworth that summer as Robin tried to woo her, and John Shakespeare, William’s father, was fairly well-off having worked not only a glove maker employing at least two apprentices, but also a whittawer, (a dresser of untanned white leather), a farmer who dealt in barley and wool, and he also traded in timber. He was clearly successful, as he paid fines for trading in wool (he was not a member of the guild), and these were large sums, one hundred and forty pounds at one time and seventy at another. He owned property, not just a house for his family, but other houses he rented out, and acted as a money-lender. He was a clever businessman, and as a member of the Glovers’ Guild was certainly important enough to be called to Kenilworth that summer. Whether he took his sons is another question, but I thought the story was lovely, and chose to include it.
Whether John Shakespeare was a Catholic is another question. His children were baptised in the Church of England, but there is a document (albeit one that is disputed as to whether it is genuine or not) which was concealed in the rafters of his house which might mean he was Catholic at heart. It was a ‘spiritual testament’, a standard Roman Catholic text produced by Edmund Campion when the priest came to England, and it states the owner is loyal to the Catholic Church. These documents were printed with blank spaces where the owner could insert their name. John was also fined for being a recusant, and there is a theory he transferred property to family members to prevent it being confiscated from him for repeated non-attendance at church. As a man who held official posts in Stratford, however, he would have had to take the Oath of Supremacy, which stated Elizabeth was Head of the Church. We tend to see religion in shades of black and white, but after the many changes which fell upon the religious life of England in the decades preceding this book, there were probably a great deal of people like John, who felt loyal to the Catholic faith, and to their country.
The love between Robin and Lettice presented in this book is from Elizabeth’s point of view, and therefore is seen, especially on Lettice’s part, as more an act of ambition than affection. I think Robin probably was torn between Lettice and Elizabeth, and there is no reason he could not have loved them both. Certainly, if all he wanted was a son, he could have married Douglas Sheffield, who had already produced one. Lettice was just Robin’s kind of woman; strong-willed, witty, intelligent, charismatic and bold. Physically, she was also the kind of woman he admired. Amy Dudley, his first wife, was a red-head, like Elizabeth, and Robin’s first marriage was known to be a love match, at least at first. Elizabeth, who I have no doubt he loved, was also pale of skin and red of hair, like Amy and Lettice. I think he was deeply attracted to Lettice, and admired her for her intelligence and spirit.
I also think, personally, that Lettice loved Robin, but I am sure she also saw there were benefits to another auspicious marriage. Robin could provide her with security, affection and wealth. As she had been made a widow, of much reduced means, it was only sensible to seek a husband who could offer her more. There is also the argument that marrying Robin would restore her reputation, as she suffered a great deal more than he did from the rumours about their affair. None of this excludes the possibility she loved him. Women, generally being entirely reliant on men for money, a home, and protection, unless they were left as wealthy widows, had to think about the practicalities of love as well as passion. Robin and Lettice got on well, and were good friends before embarking on marriage. I think they loved each other. She might have harboured resentment against Elizabeth for being born a Tudor when Lettice’s mother was never recognised by Henry VIII as his daughter, but this is just my theory. Lettice’s lack of respect for Elizabeth is not my invention, however; many historians agree she was scanty with her respect for her cousin and Queen, so it is possible there were other, rather darker, reasons for her to select Robin as a husband.
Whether Lettice faked a pregnancy to get Robin to the altar is debatable. There were reports that she was with child at the time of their marriage, but the couple did not have a child until June 1581, a good three years after their secret marriage. It is possible she was with child, and suffered a miscarriage, or was not pregnant at all, but people chose to make up gossip about her. If Lettice faked a pregnancy, I don’t think we should look too harshly on her for it. She had seen Robin abandon Douglas Sheffield, and seen, too, his support for Douglas’ son slip away. Lettice was not about to become the second mistress of Robert Dudley to be treated in such a way.
There is debate around when Elizabeth became aware of the marriage between Robin and Lettice. Many sources say she knew nothing until long after the fact, when Simier disclosed the relationship, but I chose to follow the evidence set out in Alison Weir’s book Elizabeth the Queen, which states Elizabeth found out soon after the marriage, by means of an anonymous note. To explain the discrepancy between Elizabeth finding out and Robin and Lettice’s banishment from court, I went with my gut, thinking that Elizabeth would have told them to keep it quiet until she was prepared to deal with the public humiliation she would suffer from it. I also think there is the possibility, as Elizabeth says in this book, that she wanted the news to leak slowly, without her responding to it, so it might seem she had known all along. It is common for those whose partners have cheated on them to feel humiliated, taken for a fool, and I think Elizabeth felt that way about Robin’s marriage. Pretending she knew all along, and was unaffected by it, could have been a way to save face.
As for Elizabeth thinking of marrying Anjou, there is evidence to suggest she might have been serious. Wounded by Robin, she probably wanted to pay him back, but seeking to replace some of her pride, and finding a prince willing to woo her, no doubt had an effect on her at this fragile time in her life.
Thank You
…to so many people for helping me make this book possible… to my proof reader, Julia Gibbs, who gave me her time, her wonderful guidance and also her encouragement. To my partner Matthew, who will be the first to admit that history is not his thing, and yet is willing to listen to me extol the virtues and vices of the Tudors and every other time period, repeatedly, to him and pushed me to publish even when I feared to. To my family for their ongoing love and support; this includes not only my own blood in my mother and father, sister and brother, but also their families, their partners and all my nieces who I am sure are set to take the world by storm as they grow. To Matthew’s family, for their support, and for the extended family I have found myself welcomed to within them. To my friend Petra who took a tour of Tudor palaces and places with me back in 2010 which helped me to prepare for this book and others; her enthusiasm for that strange but amazing holiday brought an early ally to the idea I could actually write a book. To my friend Nessa, to whom this book is dedicated, for her support and affection, and to another friend, Anne, who, through conversation, inspired some of the thoughts on depression Elizabeth has in this book. To all my wonderful readers, who took a chance on an unknown author, and have followed my career and books since. To those who have left reviews or contacted me by email or Twitter, I give great thanks, as you have shown support for my career as an author, and enabled me to continue writing. Thank you for allowing me to live my dream.
And lastly, to the people who wrote all the books I read in order to write this book… all the historical biographers and masters of their craft who brought Elizabeth, and her times, to life in my head. I intend to include a bibliography at the end of the last book in this series.
Thank you to all of you; you’ll never know how much you’ve helped me, but I know what I owe to you.
Gemma Lawrence
2018
About The Author
I find people talking about themselves in the third person to be entirely unsettling, so, since this section is written by me, I will use my own voice rather than try to make you believe that another person is wri
ting about me to make me sound terribly important.
I am an independent author, publishing my books by myself, with the help of my lovely proof reader. I left my day job in 2016 and am now a fully-fledged, full time author, and very proud to be so!
My passion for history, in particular perhaps the era of the Tudors, began early in life. As a child I lived in Croydon, near London, and my schools were lucky enough to be close to such glorious places as Hampton Court and the Tower of London, allowing field trips to take us to those castles. I think it’s hard not to find characters from history infectious when you hear their stories, especially when surrounded by the bricks and mortar they built their reigns and legends within. There is heroism and scandal, betrayal and belief, politics and passion and a seemingly never-ending cast list of truly fascinating people. So when I sat down to start writing, I could think of no better place to start than a time and place I loved and was slightly obsessed with.
Expect many books from me, but do not necessarily expect them all to be of one era. I write as many of you read, I suspect; in many genres. My own bookshelves are weighted down with historical volumes and biographies, but they also contain dystopias, sci-fi, horror, humour, children’s books, fairy tales, romance and adventure. I can’t promise I’ll manage to write in all the areas I’ve mentioned there, but I’d love to give it a go. If anything I’ve published isn’t your thing, that’s fine, I just hope you like the ones I write which are your thing!
The majority of my books are historical fiction, however, so I hope that if you liked this volume you will give the others in this series (and perhaps not in this series), a look. I want to divert you as readers, to please you with my writing and to have you join me on these adventures.
A book is nothing without a reader.
As to the rest of me; I am in my thirties and live in Cornwall with a rescued dog, a rescued cat and my partner (who wasn’t rescued, but may well have rescued me). I studied Literature at University after I fell in love with books as a small child. When I was little I could often be found nestled halfway up the stairs with a pile of books in my lap and my head lost in another world. There is nothing more satisfying to me than finding a new book I adore, to place next to the multitudes I own and love… and nothing more disappointing to me to find a book I am willing to never open again. I do hope that this book was not a disappointment to you; I loved writing it and I hope that showed through the pages.
This is only one of a large selection of titles coming to you on Amazon. I hope you will try the others.
If you would like to contact me, please do so.
On Twitter, I am @TudorTweep and am more than happy to follow back and reply to any and all messages. I may avoid you if you decide to say anything worrying or anything abusive, but I figure that’s acceptable.
Via email, I am [email protected] a dedicated email account for my readers to reach me on. I’ll try and reply within a few days.
I publish some first drafts and short stories on Wattpad where I can be found at www.wattpad.com/user/GemmaLawrence31 . Wattpad was the first place I ever showed my stories, to anyone, and in many ways its readers and their response to my works were the influence which pushed me into self-publishing. If you have never been on the site I recommend you try it out. It’s free, it’s fun and it’s chock-full of real emerging talent. I love Wattpad because its members and their encouragement gave me the boost I needed as a fearful waif to get some confidence in myself and make a go of a life as a real, published writer.
Thank you for taking a risk with an unknown author and reading my book. I do hope now that you’ve read one you’ll want to read more. If you’d like to leave me a review, that would be very much appreciated also!
Gemma Lawrence
Cornwall
2018