Elizabeth Fremantle

Watch The Lady by Elizabeth Fremantle 

              Stella star of heavenly fire,
              Stella lodestar of desire.

                                    Sir Philip Sidney, Astrophil and Stella




Penelope Devereux is a beauty that inspires exquisite poetry. But that is not all she is; fascinating, intelligent, prudent, unafraid of flirting with danger... had she been a man, she would have surely been a renowned figure in English history. Goddaughter of Queen Elizabeth I, sister of the Earl of Essex, she loves Philip Sidney but her heart is to be broken when she is forced to marry another.

This book is like a doorway to the past. On opening it to the first page you found yourself transported to Elizabethan England. You don't just follow Penelope in her life in the English Court but you feel her happiness, heartache and fears.

When Sidney looks at her, you feel your heart skip a beat and your breath catch in your throat. When in the Queen's presence your hands tremble slightly and every word is measured carefully before being spoken. Fear of unintentionally saying the wrong thing or displeasing the Queen in any way is palpable.

Beautifully written, enchantingly told, this story brings to life a most alluring character whose story deserves to be told.