Historians have long whispered that "the Virgin Queen" Elizabeth's
passionate, lifelong affair with Robin Dudley, Earl of Leicester, may
have led to the birth of a son, Arthur Dudley. In this exquisite sequel
to The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn, Robin Maxwell fashions a stunning
fictional account of the child switched at birth by a lady-in-waiting
who foresaw the deleterious political consequences of a royal bastard.
Set against the sweeping, meticulously rendered backdrop of court
intrigues, international scandals, and England's battle against the
Spanish Armada in 1588, Maxwell deftly juxtaposes Elizabeth and
Leicester's tumultuous relationship with the memoirs of the adventurous
son lost to them--yet ultimately discovered.
The Queen's Bastard artfully weaves two tales, the first told by
Arthur Dudley himself, who, exchanged at birth by Elizabeth's intimates
for a stillborn infant, grows up as a country gentleman, never knowing
his true identity. A dreamer, a romantic, and a magnificent horseman,
Arthur sets off to fight Philip II of Spain. Meanwhile, the lifelong
love affair of Elizabeth and Leicester has only been strengthened by the
presumed loss of their child. The two narratives collide when Arthur
learns who his true parents are. Religion, sex, and the sixteenth
century's most fascinating personalities are woven into a rich tapestry
of betrayal, the quest for power, and love.
