The Secret Keeper

by Sandra Byrd Book 2 in the Tudor Ladies in Waiting series.

First published 2012

Amazon

4.5(888)

Juliana St John, a fictional gentlewoman troubled by prophetic dreams, enters the household of Katherine Parr shortly before Katherine becomes Henry VIII’s sixth queen. Her service draws her into a learned and reform-minded circle threatened by conservative opponents, while her attachment to a courtier creates a conflict between personal happiness and the protection of her mistress.

The story continues through Henry’s death, Katherine’s marriage to Thomas Seymour and the dangerous household that includes Princess Elizabeth. Documented episodes involving religious publication, Anne Askew and Seymour’s ambition are combined with Juliana’s imagined secret, using Christian faith to examine discernment, sacrifice and the political uses of heresy and scandal.

Historical Periods

Thomas Seymour and Princess Elizabeth Scandal1547–1549 CE Katherine Parr’s Queenship and Protestant Reform1543–1548

Genres

Biographical Fiction Christian Fiction Court & Political Fiction Dynastic & Royal Fiction Historical Sagas Romance

Historical people

Henry VIII1491–1547 Catherine Parr1512–1548 Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley1508–1549 Mary Seymourborn 1548 Elizabeth I1533–1603 Anne Askew1521–1546