The queen's handmaiden

the long version

A novel of the early years of Elizabeth Tudor-as told by the spirited niece of her real-life governess. Her name is Eloise Rousell . Daughter of a well-bred lady and a strolling player, she lived her early years in peaceful obscurity. But then her father died-and her new stepfather wanted none of her. So she was sent to her aunt, Kat Ashley-governess to the young Elizabeth Tudor. In the tumultuous household of the princess in exile, Eloise finds her destiny-best friend, confidante, lady-in-waiting, and favored seamstress of the fiery girl who would become the greatest monarch of all time. Through a decade of plots and counter-plots, tragedies and triumphs, Eloise, like her aunt, is a constant in Elizabeth's life. Risking her heart- and her head-in service to the cause of seeing Elizabeth on the throne, Eloise is a bright, brave, sprightly witness to history. This is her story.