The Virgin’s Lover is book 14 of Philippa Gregory’s historical fiction series. It takes place between Summer of 1557 and Autumn of 1560. It follows Queen Elizabeth, Robert and Amy Dudley, and William Cecil. This book has a number of firsts for the series. It is the first book to have Queen Elizabeth as a main character, and it is the first book to have many scenes from a male viewpoint (Robert Dudley and William Cecil).

This book is a mix of genres. In many ways it’s a romance novel between Robert Dudley and Queen Elizabeth. It is a book of court politics. But most importantly, it is a murder mystery. Combined, it makes for a book I really enjoyed reading. Really, I liked this one.

I’m going to talk about this mystery without spoilers, but I want to talk about it. Because if you read this book knowing it’s a murder mystery, it’ll make a lot more sense.

This book is a ‘Who Will Do It’ murder mystery.

What does that mean?

Glad you asked.

This book ends in 1560, which is 13 years before the previous book, The Last Tudor, ended. Which means we, as readers of the entire series, know how the romance between Robert and Elizabeth concludes: Robert’s wife, Amy, dies under mysterious circumstances. The nature of her death tarnishes Robert’s reputation, and he is no longer considered a suitable partner for Elizabeth. They part ways, in love but unable to be together.

So, we know that Amy is going to die. The question of this book is: who is going to kill her? All four characters have motives, and you spend the book wondering who is going to be the bad guy.

Let’s take a look at the suspects.

Queen Elizabeth I

Elizabeth has not had a happy life. Her father spent much of her childhood claiming she was illegitimate. Her mother was executed for adultery and incest. She was disinherited by her Protestant brother, then forced to assume a religion she didn’t agree with for her Catholic sister. She was a pawn in many, many games.

Finally becoming queen, Elizabeth is expected to marry an advantageous male who will become king. Over the book, many kings and archdukes and princes are brought forward, and Elizabeth makes and breaks promises on a whim. But she develops true feelings for Robert Dudley, a courtier who she bestows gifts and affections on. The two of them fall in love.

Elizabeth is a suspect because she loves Robert Dudley, but he is married. If she were to get rid of Amy, she may be free to marry Robert and find some happiness. As the head of the Church of England, she could declare a divorce, but that would come at too high of a price. But if Amy was to die, then Robert would be free.

I liked the Elizabeth of this book. She was not perfect: she was a person, trying to balance the expectations of her throne with her desires as a person. She wanted to be loved, and for a time had that love with Robert. I found it entirely believable that she could order the death, hoping it would go one way and finding it going against her.

Robert Dudley

Robert is a schemer. He wants power and influence. He may or may not love Elizabeth — I found the book to be pretty vague on his true feelings — but he works to advance himself. At the height of their romance, he considers himself all but king, acting in unofficial capacities that he was not authorized to act in.

Robert demands a divorce from Amy, which she rejects. He wants to marry Elizabeth and cement his position in the court, but she stands in his way. If she dies, then he is free. And Robert is just self-centered enough to not understand why such an act might tarnish his reputation and keep him from Elizabeth.

I did not like Robert as a character, though that’s only because the author writes him so well. He is constantly scheming, grabbing power for himself. Which, given his history, I can understand. But I detest how much he doesn’t think of Amy. And, quite frankly, when he’s strutting about the palace and the height of their romance, he seems to completely forget how quickly anyone can fall in a Tudor court.

Fun Fact: When Robert returns from Calais early in the book, he returns with Hannah Green, the main character of The Queen's Fool, book 12 of the series.

William Cecil

William Cecil is the adult of the story. An experienced Protestant statesman, he is the voice of reason in Elizabeth’s court. It is he who explains to Elizabeth — and to the reader — the working of diplomacy and politics.

William constantly finds himself butting heads with Robert. He has England’s best interests at heart but finds Elizabeth to be indecisive and Robert to be an impediment. William is a true friend to Elizabeth, but he isn’t the sort of relationship she’s desperate for.

William is a suspect because he actually understands what the murder of Amy Dudley would mean: the fall of Robert Dudley. He is no stranger to assassination; he mentions it several times as an option and it is heavily implied he is responsible for the death of a Scottish queen. He is definitely capable of it.

William is my favorite character of the book. He is objective and thinking only of England, without any of the personal desires of Robert or the indecisiveness of Elizabeth. He is a good advisor. My only issue with him as he’s portrayed is the number of times he thinks or says that a woman could never be queen by herself, and they must get a king on the throne.

Amy Dudley

Amy Dudley is the tragic character of the book. She married Robert Dudley when they were young, and stood beside him when he was imprisoned, fell from grace, and fought his way back up. She was a loving and devoted wife.

But Amy does not want the court life. She wants a house and farmlands. She wants to maintain the fields and grow a family. Amy has no interest in anything else. Which is why she spends most of the book largely forgotten by Robert, hopping from friend to family member, few of whom are glad to see her. When Robert does see her, it is not as a husband, except to demand she give him a divorce, which she refused.

Amy spends much of the book in a terrible depression, always excited when she sees her husband, and let down by how little he cares. The idea of suicide is one she actively rejects (being a Catholic), but there’s always the chance she could simply give in during a darker moment.

I found Amy to a be a frustrating character. On one hand, she has my sympathy. She has done nothing to deserve the insults she is given on a daily basis, and she has no agency over her life. On the other hand, she rarely stands up for herself, actively apologizing in confession for her actions when she does. Maddening.

Historically

Well, obviously I’m not going to tell you what the book does. That’d be a spoiler.

Historically, an inquest determined it was an accident and no one was to blame. The event was used by Robert’s political enemies to tarnish his reputation, and he never married Queen Elizabeth. Accusations of his involvement occurred over the next few years, but none of them had any substance.

There is actually a theory that arose in the 1950’s, that Amy died because of breast cancer. The cancer could have weakened her bones, so that even a short fall could have been fatal. There’s no way to verify this, but the book does make reference to this theory by having Amy complain of chest pains, which she claims are due to a broken heart.

Conclusion

This book was one I couldn’t put down. I was excited to read it. And much of that was the mystery of who will kill Amy Dudley. My only disappointment was that I didn’t realize what the book was until halfway through. If I had known the whole time, perhaps I could have enjoyed it even more.

The book has a lot of other things to officer a reader. Court politics, international diplomacy, romance. It’s a great book, full of vivid characters.

If you decided to read this book, I hope the mystery pulls you in as much as it did me. I promise, it’s worth the read.