His Last Letter: Elizabeth I and the Earl of Leicester

The Virgin Queen of England, Elizabeth I, has depended on the love and support of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, for thirty years. They were playmates as children, and locked in the Tower together under the reign of Elizabeth's half-sister, Queen Mary. When Mary died, and Elizabeth became Queen, she and her "sweet Robin" were recklessly infatuated with each other. But year after year went by, and though Elizabeth piled gifts and titles upon Robert, she never gave him that which he wanted most - her hand in marriage. Through countless quarrels, Elizabeth's flirtations with the princes of Europe, Robert's marriages, and endless jealousies the two remain united in their hearts. Now, when Elizabeth should be celebrating her great victory over the Spanish armada, she sits silent and lost in memories, holding Leicester's last letter and mourning the loss of her great love. For the most part, "His Last Letter"focuses on the last three years of Leicester's life, when he and Elizabeth are mostly resigned to their roles in life. He is her most faithful servant; she is the proud Virgin Queen. But the book jumps all over time, as memories are wont to do, so we also see the two lovers throughout their youth, too. One of my favorite parts of the book was a brief time when Elizabeth toyed with the idea of marrying Leicester to Mary, Queen of Scots. She is so resistant to sharing power that she would never marry Robert herself, but she considers raising him up to be a king in Scotland because no one would protect her interests more loyally. Although the plan never comes to fruition - and Elizabeth admits to herself that she was never entirely serious about it - it really showed just how dedicated Elizabeth was to protecting her position, no matter what the cost would be to her personal life. More than any other fictional account of Elizabeth's life I've read, Westin also focuses on how Elizabeth's strained relationship with her father damaged her ability to have a normal relationship. In the case of her own mother, and Henry VIII's subsequent wives, the young Elizabeth saw how quickly a woman's lot could change based on the whims of her husband. Queen Elizabeth hoarded her power so jealously partly due to fear that any man she raised up to be her husband would one day be able to cast her aside as her father had done to so many of his women. A bittersweet tale of a romance that could never be, "His Last Letter" was a fantastic story that explored the fragile balance between Elizabeth, the woman and Elizabeth, the Queen and her consort in all but name, the Earl of Leicester.

Westin taps into the final three years of the dance between Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, at the critical moment of her defeat of the Spanish armada off England's coast, finishing Philip's hopes of invasion. Elizabeth has been long immersed in her role as England's Virgin Queen. In chapters that move between the announcement of the earl's death in 1588 and the early years of the passion between Elizabeth and Dudley, Westin perfectly captures the push and pull of a love Elizabeth could never fully own for the sake of her country and her personal vision. The days of youth and beauty past, Elizabeth is comforted by Dudley's unchanging love, that fact that they still see one another in the bright days of their love a balm to her troubled spirit and the indecisiveness that plagues her reign. Elizabeth has unerring political instincts, but as a woman she suffers greatly for her chosen role, unable to share her crown with any man, even her beloved Dudley. Tormented by his marriages and infidelities, Elizabeth is not so foolish as to deny she has offered him no alternative, the two living with this grim reality, yet unable to be parted. And like moth to flame, hopes of marriage to a queen finally spurned, Dudley devotes himself entirely to Elizabeth's best interests, as tortured as she by their separations and her decision to rule alone. Westin captures the spirit of the times in Elizabeth's Tudor court, the fawning courtiers, the handsome young men who flatter the queen, the growing threat from Spain and the decision whether to behead Mary, Queen of Scots, who never ceases planning treason against Elizabeth. But the heart of this novel is in the tension between Elizabeth and Robin, who can never be together as equals, their every move watched and reported, an intimacy made unbearable by reality and the demands of the crown. The young Elizabeth comes to life again, terrified of a father who cut off her mother's head, of men whose promises always prove false, of a Catholic sister who imprisons her in the Tower during her reign. This queen has spawned myths, but perhaps none so telling as the love she bears for Robert Dudley. While the impetuous Earl of Essex awaits her favors, even his handsome beauty is eclipsed by Dudley's loyalty. This portrait of Elizabeth is beautifully rendered, the ambivalence of a queen with a woman's heart. Her loneliness is palpable, as is her will as queen. Luan Gaines/2010.