*Editorial Book Review*
The Queen’s Tears
A Julia Darke Novel
October 19th - 30th, 2026
Publisher: Falcon Historical Press
Pages: 400
Genre: Historical Fiction / Dual-Timeline
"...I didn’t want the portrait to exploit it. I wanted to protect her.”
A painting of a woman who lived four hundred years ago may seem an unusual thing to become attached to, especially when purchasing it means spending thousands of pounds and confronting someone you have spent thirty years avoiding. For Julia Darke, however, the opportunity to own a portrait of Barbara St.John Villiers is worth the discomfort. Barbara has become an important part of the historical novel Julia is writing, and the chance to have her likeness hanging in her home is difficult to resist.
Unfortunately, the painting is being offered for sale through a gallery associated with Oliver Villiers, a man Julia once loved. Their reunion is uncomfortable enough, but matters become considerably worse when Julia arrives at the auction, only to discover that the portrait has been sold privately to the wealthy Vivienne Deveraux before the bidding has even begun.
'The Queen's Tears' by Elizabeth St.John moves between Julia's investigation and the seventeenth century, where Barbara St.John Villiers is living through the extraordinary rise of the Villiers family at the court of King James. With Queen Anna of Denmark approaching death, questions surrounding the royal jewels place Barbara in a position where loyalty, personal ambition and the wishes of her powerful brother-in-law are not necessarily compatible.
What interested me most about Julia's story was the contrast between the historical importance of the portrait and the way it is treated as a valuable possession. A painting can be bought, sold, restored and displayed, with its financial worth affected by the identity of the sitter and the artist responsible for it. Yet the woman represented in the painting had a life that cannot be reduced to an auction catalogue. Julia is interested in that life, and her attachment to the portrait is considerably more personal than the commercial interests surrounding its sale.
Julia's determination to continue researching the portrait is understandable. The more she learns, the more apparent it becomes that an incorrect identification could affect how the woman in the painting is remembered. I enjoyed the use of photographic examination and the discovery of details concealed beneath later alterations. These elements give the investigation a practical foundation, while surviving family papers and historical documents provide information that cannot be obtained from the painting alone.
Oliver's presence complicates matters. His connection to the Villiers family gives him a particular interest in the portrait, although his responsibilities within the art world are not always compatible with Julia's wishes. Their previous relationship adds another difficulty, for neither seems capable of approaching the other without remembering what happened between them. Their relationship develops alongside the investigation, bringing an additional element of uncertainty to the contemporary storyline.
Barbara's circumstances could hardly be more different. She belongs to a family enjoying the advantages of royal favour, but those privileges come with obligations that cannot easily be refused. George Villiers, Marquess of Buckingham, has risen to a position of extraordinary influence, and the opportunities available to his relatives depend heavily upon his continued success. Barbara is ambitious enough to recognise what might be gained through Buckingham's connections, but also proud enough to resent the extent of his authority over her family's affairs.
The political influence of Buckingham is one of the most interesting historical aspects of the novel. Appointments, financial advantages and access to the royal household can be distributed through personal favour, placing relatives in positions that might otherwise have remained beyond their reach. Such arrangements benefit the Villiers family enormously, although they also create expectations that are difficult to escape.
Barbara is certainly willing to take advantage of these circumstances. She wants a comfortable life, recognition of her family's importance and a secure future for her children. Her expectations are not always realistic, however, and her tendency to measure success through wealth and position can make her rather unsympathetic. I found her confidence fascinating, especially when she challenged those who possessed considerably more authority than she did, but her treatment of others sometimes suggested that her own advancement mattered more than their feelings.
The royal jewels introduce another interesting question concerning ownership. Following Queen Anna's death, their fate becomes entangled with the ambitions of individuals whose positions allow them access to the royal household. The Queen's Tears brooch is especially important, although its significance is not immediately apparent. St.John uses the jewel to connect questions of personal loyalty with the political and religious concerns of the period.
As England moves towards civil war, the security enjoyed by the Villiers family becomes increasingly uncertain. Barbara must reconsider her priorities as the possibility of losing wealth, position and family members becomes more immediate. I found this development convincing, particularly because Barbara does not suddenly abandon the qualities that have defined her character.
The two timelines work particularly well because the reader can recognise the limitations of Julia's research. She can examine a document and establish when it was written, but cannot necessarily determine whether the person responsible was being truthful. Barbara's experiences provide the circumstances behind some of these unanswered questions, allowing the reader to appreciate how incomplete surviving evidence can be.
Elizabeth St.John has brought together two very different periods through an investigation that raises questions about ownership, historical identity and the reliability of information passed down through generations. Barbara's ambitions and the political influence of the Villiers family provide a compelling historical narrative, while Julia's determination to establish the truth behind the portrait makes the contemporary storyline equally absorbing. I particularly enjoyed the way the mystery developed through historical research, with each discovery adding something new to the story. 'The Queen's Tears' is a fascinating novel, and one that has certainly made me want to learn more about the remarkable women who lived through this period.
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