Talking about the book: The Queen's Tears by Elizabeth St. John
The Queen's Tears
by Elizabeth St.John
A bit about the author
"I was brought up in England and my research has taken me to family memoirs and letters at Nottingham Castle, the British Library, the Tower of London, Yale University and, of course, the family seat of Lydiard Park. From these fragments the St.Johns emerge, leaving a portrait, a sentence, a deed that seats them with us, telling of their hopes and dreams. As I researched, my voice became a conduit for their stories, recounting a passion for the England of my childhood where they once walked, where their portraits still hang, where they lived, loved and found redemption."--from the author's website
The story
The dying Queen Anna, wife of James I of England, asked that her royal jewels be donated to the Catholic Church in France, but the Duke of Buckingham has designated his sister-in-law, Barbara, Lady Villiers, to oversee the plundering and smuggling of the gems to France. Four hundred years later, Julia Darke, historian and bookseller, is fascinated by a painting of Barbara that art conservator Oliver is restoring. The restoration uncovers a history that connects to Barbara's life and brings all the pain, joy, and memories of Julia's past with Oliver.
The scene that hooked you
The scene? How about the entire first chapter? As Barbara watches the queen's executors stow the precious jewels, she thinks: "I was brought up in England and my research has taken me to family memoirs and letters at Nottingham Castle, the British Library, the Tower of London, Yale University and, of course, the family seat of Lydiard Park. From these fragments the St.Johns emerge, leaving a portrait, a sentence, a deed that seats them with us, telling of their hopes and dreams. As I researched, my voice became a conduit for their stories, recounting a passion for the England of my childhood where they once walked, where their portraits still hang, where they lived, loved and found redemption."--from the author's website
The story
The dying Queen Anna, wife of James I of England, asked that her royal jewels be donated to the Catholic Church in France, but the Duke of Buckingham has designated his sister-in-law, Barbara, Lady Villiers, to oversee the plundering and smuggling of the gems to France. Four hundred years later, Julia Darke, historian and bookseller, is fascinated by a painting of Barbara that art conservator Oliver is restoring. The restoration uncovers a history that connects to Barbara's life and brings all the pain, joy, and memories of Julia's past with Oliver.
The scene that hooked you
Hurry, for I am fearful of being caught like a grave robber in the Queen’s death chamber...
I deserve something for my trouble. A keepsake. No harm in a keepsake. I attend—attended the Queen loyally. The Catholic Church won’t miss one little box.
Talk about tension! And when Buckingham comes into the death chamber via a secret passage, his conversation with Barbara sent shivers up my spine. (Sorry, no spoilers here so no quotes!) These passages from the opening chapter will leave the reader turning the page.
The scene that made you smile
In her research, present-day Julia discovers an inventory of Queen Anna's possessions that were founds in trunks in Paris. The historian/researcher in me had to smile because I've come across this in my own research of translated chronicles and letters: She grinned at the idiosyncrasies of seventeenth-century spelling. This was the third variation of his name and his mansion on one page.
And every researcher and writer of historical fiction loves footnotes in their research materials:
She pulled up a footnote from a 1992 JSTOR paper, which surely no one else had followed up, because footnotes in 1992 monographs about minor Stuart court figures in the household of the Danish Queen were not where careers were made.
The place where you wanted to throw the book across the room
There is a scene close to halfway through the novel with Buckingham and Barbara where I'd throw the book at the man. I'd love to give you a quote but can't because it would reveal spoiler-y details.
The 17th century storyline is fascinating and based on historical events, and opened up a time I wasn't familiar with except knowing sparse details of King James I's life. I hadn't heard the story of Queen Anna's stolen jewels.
The author writes riveting characters in both eras: Barbara and Buckingham in the past; Julia and Oliver in the present. Their individual stories are fascinating. Put them together (in their own times) and watch the many twists and turns as the plots unfold.
St.John immerses you in time and place - both in the 17th century and the current day. I especially loved the scenes in and around London and the Cotswolds having visited both on many occasions. Obviously, none of us has been to 17th century London, but the author takes us there, including to dark places we'd want to avoid...
St.John immerses you in time and place - both in the 17th century and the current day. I especially loved the scenes in and around London and the Cotswolds having visited both on many occasions. Obviously, none of us has been to 17th century London, but the author takes us there, including to dark places we'd want to avoid...
"...as we pick through the narrow streets out of Dean’s Yard, the linkboy leads the way with a flaming torch soaked in pitch. The soot and smoke are most unpleasant...dark streets, lanterns bobbing and torches casting shadows on the tenement walls... Light spills from taverns lining our way and creates golden pools between the stinking piles of muck and refuse."
And passages like this take me back to the English countryside:
"...the twisting lane, the high hedgerows, and the budding ash trees that arched overhead... The gate appeared, open now and flanked by stone pillars much older than the fresh timber... Beyond, a typical low stone Cotswold farmhouse lay ahead."
If you love extremely well-researched stories and crave a mix of family dynamics, loyalty, ambition, and survival, this book is for you.
Five stars. Highly recommended.
A stolen crown jewel and an enigmatic portrait force two women to confront the devastating choices they made for love—and summon the courage to live with the truth.
1619: Barbara, Lady Villiers, at the bidding of her brother-in-law, the Duke of Buckingham, has stolen the dying Queen Anna’s jewels—and kept the greatest prize for herself. The Queen’s Tears, a brooch of extraordinary value, torments her: too dangerous to sell, too priceless to discard, and possibly her only means of securing her children’s future. When the family fortunes are shattered, Barbara faces an impossible choice: remain loyal to Buckingham—or betray him by confessing the theft to King Charles.
Present Day: Julia Darke opens her Cotswolds bookshop to start life over peacefully. Instead, a Van Dyck portrait of Barbara’s daughter, with tantalising signs of the missing Queen’s Tears hidden in plain sight, brings her face-to-face with Oliver Villiers, the Oxford art conservator she once loved and walked away from.
Reluctantly drawn together to uncover Barbara’s secret, Julia and Oliver follow the trail of the Queen’s Tears—and the closer Julia comes to Barbara’s truth, the harder it becomes to hide from her own.
Inspired by the true stories of Queen Anna of Denmark’s stolen jewels and a missing Van Dyck painting, The Queen’s Tears weaves history, fiction, and family research across the centuries. Readers of The Lydiard Chronicles will find old favourites—and a new heroine following in their footsteps.
Buy the book: https://geni.us/TheQueensTears
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Elizabeth St.John's acclaimed historical fiction brings to life her ancestors—remarkable women linked to England's royalty—offering unique insights into Medieval, Tudor, and Stuart times. Her novels unfold not just as traditional series, but as an interlocking web of lives: The Lydiard Chronicles—including the celebrated The Lady of the Tower—The Godmother's Secret, and The King's Intelligencer explore everything from the English Civil War to the mystery of the Princes in the Tower. Her newest novel, The Queen’s Tears, a dual timeline pursuing a stolen crown jewel, reunites favourite characters from the seventeenth-century with a present-day bookstore owner heroine.
At the heart of her writing is the transformation of real ancestral histories into narratives of historical continuity. She follows threads of legacy through generations, guided as much by wills, letters, portraits, country churches, ruined castles, manor houses, and lost gardens as by imagination. Locations become constant companions through time, while characters whisper across centuries—their decisions resonating in the lives of their descendants to reveal how choices shape legacies. Grounded in historic sites like Lydiard Park and the Tower of London, her work creates a living archival flow that continues to flourish as the past yields its secrets.
Elizabeth divides her time between California, England, and the past, surrounded by books, gardens, and animals, with a slightly bewildered, ever-supportive husband beside her.
Connect with Elizabeth
Website: https://www.elizabethjstjohn.com/
Twitter / X: https://x.com/ElizStJohn
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethJStJohn/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethjstjohn/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/elizabethstjohn.bsky.social
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/elizabeth-st-john
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@elizabethjstjohn
Amazon Author Page: https://geni.us/AmazonElizabethStJohn
Goodreads: https://geni.us/GoodreadsElizStJohn
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethjstjohn/
Elizabeth divides her time between California, England, and the past, surrounded by books, gardens, and animals, with a slightly bewildered, ever-supportive husband beside her.
Connect with Elizabeth
Website: https://www.elizabethjstjohn.com/
Twitter / X: https://x.com/ElizStJohn
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethJStJohn/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethjstjohn/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/elizabethstjohn.bsky.social
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/elizabeth-st-john
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@elizabethjstjohn
Amazon Author Page: https://geni.us/AmazonElizabethStJohn
Goodreads: https://geni.us/GoodreadsElizStJohn
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethjstjohn/
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Charlene Newcomb’s passion for historical fiction and Star Wars led to her writing a bit of both. She has multiple short stories in the Star Wars Adventure Journal, published a space opera Echoes of the Storm, and has written medieval historical fiction short stories and five novels: the Battle Scars trilogy, and Tales of Robin Hood.
Download her free medieval short story, A Boy’s Life – about 9 year old Allan A Dale – and dive into 12th century England.
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