Author’s Note. At heart I am a historian. Before I
begin writing a #classi#historical#omance I research the background. I hope you
will enjoy this month’s insider blog based on my notes.
Anne was
pretty with plump features, red-brown hair, and her mother’s elegant hands,
which she was immensely proud of. A shy, easily ignored child she was aware of her
short-comings – her poor education did nothing to boost her confidence. Sarah
said years later: Your Majesty has
had the misfortune to be misinformed in general things even from twelve years
old. There was no reason to provide
Anne and her sister with better
education because it was probable the Queen would bear an heir to the throne.
During Anne’s life few women could read
and write. Little more than dancing, drawing, French, and music were required
to prepare Anne for life at court. Her general education was neglected but her
religious education was rigorous and laid the foundation for her lifelong
adherence to the Anglican faith.
Anne and
Mary lived apart from the court at Whitehall, their indulgent Roman Catholic
father and stepmother. Expected to be
virtuous, the sisters must have been aware of the licentiousness at their
uncle’s court and their uncle, the king, and their father acknowledged
illegitimate children.
King
Charles II was interested in Anne, who would be one of the best guitar players
at court. Her voice was pleasing so he ordered the actress, Mrs Barry, to give his
nieces elocution lessons. They benefitted Anne when she took part in masques
and plays popular at court and, as queen, when she addressed parliament.
Anne and
Mary grew up in the company of clerics and women, secluded from Whitehall with
little to entertain them. They suffered boring conversations, stifling small
rooms, and endless card games. Sarah declared:
I wished myself out of Court as much as I had desired to come into it
before I knew what it was. Despite tedium and whatever storms lay ahead,
Anne loved her sister. So much that when Mary married her Dutch cousin, William
of Orange, in 1677, while Anne had smallpox, her father ordered that she should
not be told her sister had departed for the Continent.
While
Anne’s tutor fretted in case her fanatical Roman Catholic nurse influenced her
when Anne was ill, she recovered, Anne
had to cope with the death of her governess. Fortunately, she still had Sarah’s
companionship and they enjoyed the vast
grounds of Richmond Palace, leased by the king for his nieces. This tranquillity. It is reasonable to
suppose her mind was occupied with
thoughts of who she would marry.
* * *
Rosemary Morris’ #classic#historical#romance novels set in Queen Anne Stuart’s reign – 1702-1714
Far Beyond Rubies
Tangled Love
The Captain and The Countess
The Viscount and The Orphan
https://bwlpublishing.ca/morris-rosemary
www.rosemarymorris.co.uk
