The Redheaded Princess: A Novel (19 page)

Sitting down to dine with Henry VIII and little Elizabeth as he roars, "More wine, and a toast to my daughter!" Noting that small beret on his head with the feather that curls around his ears. Dancing with Sir Thomas Seymour, who was "loved by women and children and dogs throughout the kingdom." Being escorted by knights Richard and James Vernon through the great halls of the palace, the walls of which were painted with murals or hung with paintings of ancestors. How did little Elizabeth learn to conduct herself in such surroundings? She was brought up to it by Cat Ashley, her first nanny, and later by her tutors. She was trained in manners and language. But it was only through her own strengths--inherited from her father, the King, and her mother, Anne Boleyn, who was executed-- that she learned at an early age that all these trappings only hid dangers waiting to snare a Princess if she wasn't careful. She learned at an early age--with the help of Cat Ashley, and her friend Robin Dudley, and Mr. Grindal, her tutor--to study hard and to think before speaking. She learned that her father was King before he was her father. She learned what people would do to be King--and what she must and must not do to be Queen.

This novel is my own interpretation of Princess Elizabeth's struggle to grow up and be Queen of England. I am sure there are others more accurate, more intricate, and more exacting. I hope I succeeded in making mine interesting, eye-opening, and fun to read.

A
nn Rinaldi