This is the nineteenth book in the Ursula Stannard series of Elizabethan mysteries. Much of this centred around revived pagan rituals in the New Forest, and whether they might be connected - rather implausibly - to plots to free the imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots. This is at the time of the notorious Babington plot in 1586, the exposure of which caused Mary's final downfall and led to her execution. Ursula and her friends expose the New Forest goings on - which I found it hard to take seriously as an actual plot and, indeed, while sinister and nasty in import, they had no connection to national events. Ursula has to attend the execution of Mary to report back to Elizabeth on how her royal cousin meets her end. As ever I like the recurring characters very much and that keeps me reading, however implausible the plots sometimes are. ( )

Queen’s own investigator!

1586, Ursula Stannard (Blanchard) once again does Sir Francis Walsingham’s bidding—and by extension her half sister’s, Elizabeth Tudor. This time she’s investigating rumours of pagan rites in a forest (brought to Ursula’s attention by a dame from the remote village of Chenston), and how that might or might not relate to Walsingham’s enquiries and lures around rumours of a plot being hatched by Mary Stuart against her cousin Elizabeth. Ursula is pointed straight towards Mary, albeit via a devious path.
Of course she’s also once more overseeing the education of her newest companion, a young gentlewoman of a Puritan background whom we met in the last story. I find I don’t really trust this particular young woman, Mildred Gresham. She is too eager to walk her own path, often unwisely.
Like the last adventure, we end up deep in the forests of England, in an out of the way village, where intermarriage is maybe to close, and where Christianity is surrounded by age old rituals, where danger and superstitions walk hand in hand, and can be easily manipulated.
I’ve enjoyed following Ursula’s life, the various paths she’s trodden, her quick execution of plans as danger looms. I’m exhausted and she probably is too. We can see her manservant and friend Roger Brockley is ageing, as is Dale, Brockley’s wife and Ursula’s maid. Ursula’s service for the Queen in this story is one that she will take no joy in. Though maybe one could say, who else can Elizabeth trust?
Where Ursula will go from here I don’t know. She serves at the Queen’s pleasure. Maybe it’s time for her own pleasure, time for less dangerous meanderings—raising horses, keeping an eye on her business fronts, and caring for her children and extended family group. That is, if the Queen and Walsingham will let her. But I suspect that won’t be, as is raised, if anything happened to Mary Stuart, Philip of Spain would be infuriated. The future beckons.

A Severn House ARC via NetGalley ( )