The Lady Grace Mysteries : Feud
This is another from the fictional diaries of Lady Grace Cavendish, Maid of Honour to Queen Elizabeth and secret Lady Pursuivant. Carmina, another of the Maids, is ill and no one knows what is wrong with her. Then Lady Grace accidentally finds out the cause of her mystery illness.
At the top of the Palace is a workroom where painters are constantly at work on a number of portraits of the Queen. Lady Sarah has to dress in the Queen’s robes and stand in for her. This is boring and so Lady Grace has to read to her. Grace is fascinated by the workroom and is thrilled when she is even allowed to try her hand at painting herself. When she is finished, being Grace, her hands are covered with paint. She reaches for a sweetmeat left by Lady Sarah but Mistress Teerline, who is in charge of the workroom, stops her in time and impresses on her that paints are very poisonous.
And Grace suddenly realises that someone is trying to poison Carmina. But who would want to? With the help of her secret friends Ellie the laundry maid and Masou the boy tumbler she determines to find out.
This series is notable for the fact that every book manages to throw light on a different facet of Elizabethan life. And this one mainly illuminates the court limners and the painting techniques at the time. But there is also much information about the making of sweetmeats and Tudor medical practice and beliefs. It comes with the usual note on the Tudor period, a glossary, and additional notes on the miniaturist Nicholas Hilliard and Levina Teerline, the mistress of the workroom.
Just as enjoyable and informative as the others in this series. Ages 10+
