RebeccaJane has been proclaimed the Queen of England, by her father in law. John Dudley is the most powerful man in the country at this point. The only problem is – the people of England do not want her as their queen. Many view the Princess Mary as the rightful heir to her brothers throne, and see Jane as a usurper who has no business being there. Jane herself does not wish to be queen. She wants to be left alone with her books. But what she wants does not seem to matter.
Nine days after she is proclaimed queen, Princess Mary, along with loyal supporters take back the government. Jane is abandoned by everyone, including her parents. Her mother does not plead for her daughters life, but instead pleads for the life of her husband. Jane is completely alone, left with only a loyal servant for company. She is hoping for leniency from the queen, but is unsure whether she will get it. When her father attempts and fails at gathering an army in support of Jane, her fate is sealed. She is put on trial with her husband Guildford, and they are charged with treason. Each of them are sentenced to death.
In the meantime, Ned has pleaded with Queen Mary to allow Jane to live. He is in love with her and hopes that if she is freed that they can leave the country and start over somewhere. While he is enjoying the company of the court and his surroundings, he wants something more. With Jane finally sentenced to death, he has only one request..
This week we are reading pages 182-243
Questions:
- What do you think about Jane’s exclamation that her husband will never be crowned king?
- Do you think Jane should have been more vocal during her 9 day reign?
- Do you think Queen Mary made the right decision?
- What did you think of the book?
