A Catholic in a land of stern Protestants, Mary finds herself in the middle of a revolt, as her bloodthirsty subjects call for her arrest and execution. After her husband, Lord Darnley, is murdered, suspicion falls on Mary and her lover, the Earl of Bothwell. “Burn the murderess!”So begins Jean Plaidy’s The Captive Queen of Scots, the epic tale of the Scottish Queen Mary Stuart, cousin to Queen Elizabeth of England. “Plaidy excels at blending history with romance and drama.”-The New York Times His other great love, and Louise’s rival, is Nell Gwyn, a stage actress who rises from the streets of London to become the king’s favorite and a hero of the working class.Ĭourt intrigue and affairs of the heart weave together in this unforgettable page-turner. But when the politically ambitious Lady Castlemaine becomes too powerful, she is replaced by Louise de Kéroualle, a baby-faced French noblewoman who may have been sent to Charles’s court as a spy. For many years, his “untitled queen” is a bold and sensual older woman-Barbara, Countess of Castlemaine-whose husband is routinely paid to look the other way. He first secures a strong dynastic alliance by marrying Catherine of Braganza, a shy, plain Portuguese princess who falls in love with her handsome husband and brings him great wealth, but can never give him the son he longs for. As king, Charles II throws himself into the gaiety of court life, becoming a patron of the arts and a consummate lover of women. Charles is determined not only to restore the monarchy but also to revive a society that has suffered under many years of Puritan rule, when everything from theater to Christmas festivals was illegal. Ten years after Charles I was deposed and executed, his son, Charles II, regains the throne after many years in exile. From princesses to country girls to actresses…the loves of Charles II come to life.