Although I don't devour as many historical novels as I did say, a decade ago, they still make up the majority of my fiction reading. And sadly, I haven't found that many new authors who capture my attention very much any more. One of the exceptions has been Susan Holloway Scott who has been writing novelized histories of prominent women in Stuart England, especially the mistresses of England's "Merrie Monarch," Charles II.

When we first meet Louise de Keroualle, she is a pretty, if rather naive teenager, going to Paris to join the courtiers that buzz around Louis XIV, the Sun-King. Her family may be honourable and noble, but they are also impoverished, and it's going to be up to Louise to improve the family fortunes by marrying well if she can. Filled with dreams of marrying for love, and a dazzling future for herself, Louise quickly discovers that love is a very rare commodity when she joins the circle of ladies-in-waiting around the king's sister-in-law, Madame.

Madame, born Henriette-Anne, and a princess of England, is beautiful, but frail, enduring the miseries of being married to a man that loathes her, and is jealous of her beauty and charm. Monsieur, Louis XIV's younger brother, is sharp-tongued, spiteful and not afraid to parade his collection of male lovers in front of his wife, who endures it all with stoic forbearance as her continual pregnancies sap her strength. Despite her own troubles, Madame is struck by Louise's innocence and honest ways, and a friendship grows between the two. When Madame returns to England, supposedly for a family reunion, Louise is one of the ladies selected to go with her.

When Louise meets Charles II, King of England, she's already smitten -- after all, she has heard all about him from Madame, and her young mind hasn't quite lost that yearning for to fall head over heels for someone. And the king, no stranger at all to amourous encounters, finds in Louise someone different than his usual bedmates. Louise is refined and cultured, with the dignity of a nobly born woman, and while the pair flirt, they never quite consummate the desire between them. When Madame and Louise return to France, Louise hopes that one day she'll meet the king again.

But fate has another plan in mind -- Madame returns to the hateful marriage with Monsieur, and not long afterwards she dies of a painful and mysterious ailment. Everyone is whispering poison, and Louise is finding herself at the prospect of being on her own again. But it seems that Louis XIV has her in mind, and returns her to England, presumably to bear condolences on the death of Madame, but also well aware of the English King's attraction to Louise. Louise is to be the French unofficial ambassador to Charles II, to whisper offers of assistance and much needed gold as well as reporting back to the French on any useful information. And suddenly, Louise is in the middle of a very dangerous game indeed...

Ms. Scott's novel sheds a fine insight into the period known as the English Restoration, where the English returned to a monarchy after a brief flirtation with a republican system. The Charles II that is shown here is a melancholy man, after nearly ten years on the throne. His Portuguese Queen is barren, and there is still unrest in his kingdom over religion. For comfort he turns to his wide array of women, and in this novel we get to see a brief appearance by Lady Castlemaine, the rapacious Barbara Villiers, and a fuller portrait of the lowborn Nell Gwyn, who senses a formidable rival with Louise and refers to her in ways that are particularly cruel. And Louise in turn learns that life at Court, despite the finery and opportunity for riches, can be a very lonely place.

This was one aspect of the novel that I enjoyed very much. Ms. Scott does not fall into the trap of having her heroine stay a flitterwit throughout the book. Louise, despite all of her naiveté at the start, manages to learn from the hard lessons about true friendship, betrayal, and always being an outsider. Louise grows in the story, and by the end has matured and accepted her role in the King's life. Along the way, we're treated to some tidbits about the life of a king, the ribald nature of his court, a look at seventeenth century spycraft, and the little details to daily living that add much needed colour to the story.

While the pace does slow at times, with much too introspection on Louise's part about giving up her virginity to the king -- one of the factors that caused me to give this one only a four star rating -- the story does move at a reasonable clip. As well as the story, there is an author's note explaining some of the twists in the story at the end, along with a list of questions for a readers' group.

Summing up, this was a fine book to while away a weekend, and it's a good bet that I will pick up Ms. Scott's next novel, about another of King Charles' mistresses.

Four stars overall. Recommended.

Books by Susan Holloway Scott:
Duchess: A Novel of Sarah Churchill
Royal Harlot: A Novel of the Countess of Castlemaine and King Charles II
The King's Favorite: A Novel of Nell Gwyn and King Charles II
The French Mistress: A Novel of the Duchess of Portsmouth and King Charles II -- you are here
The Countess and the King: A Novel of Katherine Sedley and King James II

 
The French Mistress: A Novel of the Duchess of Portsmouth and King Charles II
Susan Holloway Scott
2009; New American Library, Penguin Group USA
ISBN 978-0-451-22694-5


Recommended: Yes