Tea at Trianon: Girl on the Golden Coin: A Novel of Frances Stuart

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Girl on the Golden Coin: A Novel of Frances Stuart

Frances Theresa Stuart by Peter Lely

The licentious court of the Merry Monarch is brought to life in the debut novel of Marci Jefferson. Girl on the Golden Coin dramatizes the tumultuous relationship of Charles II and his cousin Frances Stuart, with whom he falls in love even as she resists his advances. Frances, from a penniless branch of the Stuart clan, is determined to remain a virgin until she marries, hoping to marry well for the sake of her impoverished kin. She also fears that becoming the King’s mistress might cause her family secrets to be revealed. However, Frances is under a great deal of pressure from both the Dowager Queen Henrietta Maria and Louis XIV of France to influence Charles as much as possible. In order to protect her family, Frances must cultivate the King’s affections without succumbing to his charms, a challenge which becomes more daunting as Frances finds herself as deeply in love with Charles as he is with her.

In the meantime, Frances must deal with the jealousy of Charles’ official mistress, Barbara Villiers, and the plots of courtiers who seek to manipulate her. Although Frances is often judged to be a ninny, Jefferson portrays her as a clever woman who knows how to survive in a jungle of intrigues. As a Catholic, Frances also struggles with her conscience, and is never at peace when her virtue is compromised. This aspect adds a deeper layer to what is otherwise a tale of sexual politics. When the opportunity to become another Anne Boleyn presents itself, Frances must decide between her own happiness and what is best for England.

Written with spirit and insight, the novel reveals both the glamour and the dirt of court life while peering into the soul of a woman who is one of the unsung heroines of English history.

(This review originally appeared in the February 2014 edition of the Historical Novels Review.)

(*NOTE: This book was sent to me by the Historical Novel Society in exchange for my honest opinion.)