The French Mistress (55 page)

I’ve tried to separate at least a few grains of truth from all the scandalous chaff, and discover the woman behind the great villain ess of too many tears. Wherever the hard facts of history are tanta lizingly vague, I tried to keep to Louise’s spirit as much as possible, and the occasional liberty I’ve been forced to take in telling her story was made with the best of intentions. As I’ve often said before, I’m a novelist, not a historian. But in the end, I dare to hope that Charles himself would be pleased with what I’ve written of the woman he loved so dearly.

 

The
French
Mistress
A NOVEL OF
THE DUCHESS Of PORTSMOUTH AND KING CHARLES II

 

 

 

 

 

 

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. The title of this book,
The French Mistress
, can describe not only how the English viewed Louise de Keroualle, but also as the way she described herself as well. Which do you think is more apt?

2. Charles II was crowned only after a prolonged exile following his father’s beheading and the English Civil War. He was determined to create a Court that was more relaxed and informal than his father’s had been, yet often found his authority challenged during his reign. His cousin Louis XIV also had a difficult childhood for a royal prince, and he, too, was exiled from Paris by the enemies of his family during the Fronde. Yet Louis reacted to his past by insisting on a rigidly ritualized Court that he could completely control and manipulate. Which model do you feel worked better? As a courtier, which would you prefer?

3. Louise saw no shame in her position as a royal mistress. Do you think this was because of the material wealth she amassed, the power she acquired, her ability to help her native France, or simply because of the love she felt for Charles?

4. Louise had the opportunity to observe several arranged royal couples firsthand: Madame and Monsieur; Louis and Therese; Charles and Catherine; James and Mary Beatrice; William and Mary. Do you think this influenced her decision to become Charles’s mistress rather than pursue a marriage of her own?

5. Charles’s mistresses were constantly faulted for their greed, and Louise was regarded as the most avaricious of them all. Do you think she was in fact greedy, or merely making the most of a brief and unpredictable opportunity to provide for herself and her son?

6. Anti-Catholic prejudice and persecution reached hysterical levels during Charles’s reign. How do you think this compares to religious intolerance in the world today?

7. Although Louise was undeniably a beautiful and desirable woman, she chose to emphasize her talents as a hostess and as an exemplar of elegant taste to help her maintain a lasting relationship with Charles. Do you agree with her decision? Do you think she would have held Charles’s interest if she had relied simply on her beauty?

8. Louise made virtually no friends in England beyond Charles. Do you agree with her opinion that she was surrounded by enemies, and could trust no one but herself, or the opinions of others at the English Court: that she was chilly and aloof and too self-centered for friendship?

9. Treatment and understanding of syphilis were rudimentary in the seventeenth century. Given Charles’s wide-ranging habits and Louise’s monogamy, it’s safe to say that he infected her. Yet she was the one was “punished” by being isolated from him and her son during the time the disease was being treated. Do you think this double standard was fair? Would it have been different if Charles hadn’t been king? Do you think Louise expected it?

10. Louise was a favorite target both of Court satire as exemplified by the Earl of Rochester and of the more common ballads and pamphlets that circulated through coffeehouses and taverns. How do you think today’s tabloid-style journalism would treat Louise? Do you think she would be followed more for her political role, her sexual relationship with the king, or as a stylish trendsetter?

11. While Louis treated Louise as an agent of the French, Charles chose to regard her more as a facilitator, a special kind of diplomat that he felt he could trust. How would you regard her role: as a spy or a savvy diplomat?

12. Although Charles had many women in his life, he was surprisingly careful with his endearments. His pet names for Louise were “Fubs”—an abbreviation of fubsy, a seventeenth-century synonym for chubby—and “My Dear Life.” He used both in conversation and throughout his letters to her. What do you think these nicknames reveal about their relationship?

13. Late in the book, Louise sees one of the queen’s maids of honor who is facing dismissal on account of her faith: “Poor poppet, I thought sadly, though perhaps it would be far better for her if her career at Court ended now, before she found her way to some lord’s bed.” Do you think Louise truly believed this? Do you think if she had her life to do over that she would have made a choice other than coming to Court?

Susan Holloway Scott
is the author of more than forty historical novels. A graduate of Brown University, she lives with her family in Pennsylvania. Visit her Web site at
www.susanhollowayscott.com
.

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“Among this novel’s many strengths are Scott’s impressive depiction of time and place, her evocation of the Restoration-era mind-set, the exuberance of the period, and her sure, succinct presentation of complex historical events. The reader can well believe that this is a memoir penned by a woman who—in reality—was clearly too busy living to ever write one!”—
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Though each is promised to another, Barbara soon becomes Charles’s mistress and closest friend, and the uncrowned queen of his bawdy Restoration Court. Rewarded with titles, land, and jewels, she is the most envied and desired woman in England—and the most powerful.

But the role of royal mistress is a precarious one, and Barbara’s enemies and rivals are everywhere in the palace. Now even kings can lose their heads to treason, and swirling political intrigue brings new threats and danger—until not even Charles is safe.

In this world where love is no more than a game, and power the ultimate aphrodisiac, only one woman holds the key to it all: Barbara, Countess of Castlemaine, duchess of Cleveland, and the royal harlot.

 

 

 

“This is a wild joyride through Restoration England, with Nell firmly gripping the reins. Susan Holloway Scott is so intuitive with period language and so involved in the psyches of her characters, that you are at all times
there
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always
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N
ell Gwyn was never a lady, nor did she pretend to be one. The daughter of a Royalist soldier, she is taken to London by her widowed mother to work in a bawdy house. At fourteen, she becomes the mistress of a wealthy merchant, who introduces her to the world of the theater. Blessed with impudent wit and saucy good looks, she swiftly rises from an orange seller to a leading lady, and she is still in her teens when she catches the eye of King Charles II. She trades the stage for Whitehall Palace and the glorious role of a royal mistress.

Yet even as she delights the king, she must learn to negotiate the cutthroat Court, where intrigue and lust for power rule the hearts of all around her. Beneath her charm and lightheartedness, Nell has her own ambition: to become no less than the king’s favorite.