Part 16 (2/2)

Why does Kate give up? Why does she stop fighting? Why does she burn Mr. Roke-Green's letter to Queen Elizabeth before he has a chance to send it? She died at only twenty-eight after losing a long battle with depression. Could this have been avoided? Could she have won this battle? What, if anything, could Kate have done to ensure a happier or longer life for herself?

Why does Mary, the practical and pragmatic one who should have known better, follow in Kate's footsteps when she knows the danger that comes with marrying secretly, without the Queen's consent? Discuss her relations.h.i.+p with Thomas Keyes. Why do they fall in love? And is it really love? During her sister's imprisonment, Mary was constantly pus.h.i.+ng Kate to fight and not give in to her depression, to find a way to go on with her life, yet, as Mary freely admits, when she is in the same position, she does not practise what she preached and actually goes mad for a time. How does this make you feel about Mary? Does it make her more human, or a more or less sympathetic character? What do you think of our little narrator? Discuss what life must have been like for someone who was physically different or challenged in Tudor England. Did the difficulties and disappointments she faced make Mary a stronger or wiser person?

Discuss Mary's life after she is released from prison. Even though she still mourns her husband and has already made the decision to shut love out of her life, she spontaneously begins a secret affair with her stepfather, Adrian Stokes. Why does she do this? Is it a good or bad decision? And, why, when she is received back at court, does she insist on calling herself ”Mrs. Thomas Keyes”? Is this an act of pride, insolence, and defiance, or her way of honouring the memory of the man she truly loved?

Pa.s.sion, Treachery, Betrayal. The virgin queen has arrived ...

A l.u.s.tful king. A thirst for power. The terrible price of revenge ...

Two sisters: united by blood, divided by the crown ...

AUTHOR'S NOTE.

This is a work of historical fiction inspired by the lives of the Grey sisters-Jane, Katherine, and Mary. Certain details, events, locations, and characters have been altered, condensed, or invented.

Books by Emily Purdy:.

The Tudor Wife.

Mary and Elizabeth.

The Court Affair.

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