A Rescue for a Queen

Fiona Buckley has added another chapter to the mystery series featuing  Ursula Blanchard in A Rescue for a Queen (#632).  Even at the funeral of Ursula Blanchard's beloved husband Hugh Stannard, Queen Elizabeth's shadow is felt.  Cecil has come to represent the Queen, but he has a mission in mind for Ursula all the same. Margaret Emory, her ward, receives a proposal of marriage from a Dutch business associate of her father.  When the Emorys arrive in person to plead with Margaret to accept this proposal, Cecil is present during the conversation.  In fact, he is the one who suggests that Ursula would be the perfect person to travel with Margaret to the Netherlands and represent the family at the wedding.  The Emorys gratefully accept the offer, and Ursula is hard pressed to refuse.

Of course, there is more to the journey than meets the eye, as Ursula discovers that her mortal enemy, the Countess of Northunberland, is now living in Bruges, not more than seventy miles from Brussels where the wedding will take place.  Ridolfi, the Italian banker caught up in plotting to place Mary Stuart on the English throne, is a cousin of the groom, and is planning to hold the reception for the newlyweds.  Although Ursula will be glad to see his wife Donna again, she seeks assurance from Cecil that Ridolfi has no knowledge of her role in revealing the plot two years prior.  Venturing into a Catholic country ruled by Spain is a daunting prospect, but for Margaret's sake, Ursula agrees to the task, accompanied by her faithful servants, Roger Brockley and his wife, Fran Dale.

Things never seem to go smoothly, and each time Ursula tries to return home, Cecil puts another task on her shouldrs.  When her party meets a most unexpected acquaintance in the Netherlands, it becomes even more difficult to keep up the pretense of being Catholics.  Surely their luck is running out?

This is a very interesting Tudor mystery series.  Ursula is the half sister of Elizabeth I, and her resemblance to her sibling has proven useful in the past for the security of England.  Ursula, despite her loyalty to her sister and her country, is a most reluctant spy, craving a quiet life at home.  Will she ever get her wish?  I hope for the sake of this series that she does not!