The Virgin Queen’s Daughter

by: Ella March Chase

Published by: Crown Publishers

Reviewed by Kathy Perschmann

Nell de Lacey is raised in remote Lincolnshire by a doting father, Lord Calverley, to read and satisfy her thirst for knowledge. She is acquainted with all the best philosophers and thinkers of the day, including Dr. Dee. Her mother used to be maid in waiting to Queen Katherine Parr, and has a justified fear of court intrigue from that time.

As Nell grows up, she longs more and more for the intellectual bustle of London and the court of the new Queen Elizabeth, a woman as smart and as strong as any man, and Nell defies her mother to go to court, at the age of 16, after the death of her father.

Nell, however, is ill prepared for the nastiness of the ladies in waiting at the court, and the relentless seductive presence of many of the insistent male courtiers, who see her title and land as a prize plum. Dr. Dee has always seen something very unusual in Nell, since she was child; and now even Elizabeth is questioning her motives and her past–she has Elizabeth’s fiery red hair, and her brilliant mind.

There is some question about Nell’s birth. Her old nurse tells a story of saving her from death and spiriting her away from the secret birthing of a young highborn lady, to hand her to her mother, Lady Calverley, whose infant was born dead. Who will ferret out Nell’s secret? Will her nurse be caught by Elizabeth’s spies and tortured? Most importantly, will Nell succumb to handsome Sir Gabriel Wyatt’s promises to always love and protect her? What are his true motives?

Chase has successfully re-created the court of Queen Elizabeth, peopling it with her impressions of historical figures, and the intelligent and determined Nell. If you like Philippa Gregory or Alison Weir, you will love this first book by a talented author.

Armchair Interviews says: Excellent debut novel.

Author’s Web site: http://www.EllaMarchChase.com