The Queen’s Tears
A Julia Darke Novel
by Elizabeth St.John
A stolen crown jewel and an enigmatic portrait force two women to confront the devastating choices they made for love—and summon the courage to live with the truth.
1619: Barbara, Lady Villiers, at the bidding of her brother-in-law, the Duke of Buckingham, has stolen the dying Queen Anna’s jewels—and kept the greatest prize for herself. The Queen’s Tears, a brooch of extraordinary value, torments her: too dangerous to sell, too priceless to discard, and possibly her only means of securing her children’s future. When the family fortunes are shattered, Barbara faces an impossible choice: remain loyal to Buckingham—or betray him by confessing the theft to King Charles.
Present Day: Julia Darke opens her Cotswolds bookshop to start life over peacefully. Instead, she stumbles across a Van Dyck portrait of Barbara’s daughter, with tantalising signs of the missing Queen’s Tears hidden in plain sight. The discovery also brings her face-to-face with the last person she wants to see again. Oliver Villiers, the Oxford art conservator she once loved and walked away from, holds the cipher to the painting—and to Julia’s own unresolved history.
Reluctantly drawn together by a shared obsession to uncover Barbara’s secret, Julia and Oliver follow the trail of the Queen’s Tears—and the closer Julia comes to Barbara’s truth, the harder it becomes to hide from her own.
Inspired by the true stories of Queen Anna of Denmark’s stolen jewels and a missing Van Dyck painting, The Queen’s Tears weaves history, fiction, and family research across the centuries. Readers of The Lady of the Tower will find old favourites—and a new heroine following in their footsteps.
Welcome, Elizabeth!
Please make yourself at home. Would you prefer tea or coffee, or perhaps something more…fortifying?
A coffee would be perfect, thanks. I’ve just discovered the joy of cold brew – it’s opened up a whole new world of mellow!
Before we begin, please introduce yourself.
Well, I’m Elizabeth St.John, who at the ripe old age of fifty-something decided it was time to sit down and write the historical fiction novel I’d always dreamed about, inspired by my own ancestors. Six books, three novelettes and numerous short stories later, I am SO happy I had the courage to begin!
Could you tell us a little about your new book?
The Queen’s Tears came from a combined desire to try a slightly different genre, and the discovery of an extraordinary crown jewel heist and a mis-labelled Van Dyck portrait of my ancestress, Barbara St.John Villiers. I suddenly had the scaffolding for a unique historical story. Not content with sticking with just Barbara, I decided this would be a perfect jumping off point to try a new genre, so I broke down the guardrails and created a purely fictional character to pursue Barbara’s trail—a Cotswold antiquarian book seller and historian named Julia Darke. Who also happens to be fifty-something…
The Queen’s Tears is your first dual-timeline novel. What made you consider writing across two very different eras?
I adore writing biographical historical fiction, and the appeal of writing a dual timeline was certainly that I could continue in my comfort zone with the 17th-century story, and then throw away all the guard rails by making up the present-day plot. I’ve always enjoyed dual timelines, and in fact, I had originally planned my two Princes in the Tower novels, The Godmother’s Secret and The King’s Intelligencer, as a dual timeline. Those stories quickly became too sweeping to restrict a word count, but with Barbara’s jewel theft and art mystery, I could completely control the plot. And I wanted to climb a mountain I hadn’t tried yet.
How did you coordinate each era when you were plotting and writing the novel? Did you write alternate chapters, or complete one story before the other?
I am a plotter by nature, so it actually fell into place fairly easily. I wrote the historical draft first, with the idea of the present-day story in the back of my mind as I wrote. Then I wrote a fairly detailed outline for Julia’s plot, and started to see where her journey and Barbara’s intersected. I wove her chapters in between Barbara’s, not necessarily writing alternate chapters, but more having each hand over the baton at critical intersections of plot or location.
You know the Stuart era very well. When researching it, did you come upon any unexpected surprises? Possibly in your ancient family archives?
Oh, you have NO idea. I had Barbara’s story completely written, and although there were lovely nuances and discoveries that I didn’t know, there were no real surprises, just exciting discoveries. Then when I was writing Julia’s story and it was almost done, I unearthed an extraordinary document in the archives that revealed a scandal that would have completely undone Barbara at the time. And yet, it was also her chance for redemption. So, I had to write that into her story, and couldn’t resist echoing it in Julia’s. I wonder if you can spot what it was?
I think I have an idea, but I'll leave it for readers to spot it, too...
Your Stuart protagonist, Barbara Villiers, features in your brilliant Lydiard Chronicles. Did you approach her differently this time?
Your Stuart protagonist, Barbara Villiers, features in your brilliant Lydiard Chronicles. Did you approach her differently this time?
I HAD to! She was the woman everyone loved to hate in The Lydiard Chronicles – a really unpleasant, scheming antagonist, who always seemed to cause a lot of damage and always landed on her feet! So, when she insisted on being the heroine of The Queen’s Tears, I had to find a way to make her believable, and someone you’d want to spend time with. She’s still flawed, but I hope I’ve given her substance, motive, and, ultimately, redemption.
Did you have real-life inspirations for Julia and Oliver, the modern-day protagonists in The Queen’s Tears? Both hide deep secrets, which unfold as the story progresses. How easy was it for you – as an historical novelist – to plot present-day conflicts?
Great question! They both have characteristics of people I’ve known over the years in the US and the UK, and their backgrounds and occupations are familiar to me. That being said, their personal stories are unique to them, and it was fascinating to bring them alive through their own history, as well as reflecting emotions and stakes from the historical story. I think that’s what I found the most satisfying – writing purely from an emotional and creative perspective and then seeing that my writer’s brain had actually woven all these different elements across the centuries. Environment may change, but the human condition stays constant.
Can you share with us what your next writing project is about?
Well, if readers enjoy spending time with Julia and Oliver, I have another discovery in store for them: a lost Tudor herbal recipe with untold value in today’s world. Its history is tangled with accusations of witchcraft in New England (and is rooted in my family history again). The search for its original source draws them into a high-stakes chase—with a discovery that could change the pharmaceutical world for ever hanging in the balance.
Ooh, I love the sound of that. I can't wait to read it.
Thanks so much for your time, Elizabeth. It’s always a pleasure to host you and your wonderful books. We wish you much success with The Queen’s Tears.
Thank you! It’s always such a joy to be a guest of The Coffee Pot Book Club!
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This title will be available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Elizabeth St. John
Elizabeth St.John's acclaimed historical fiction brings to life her ancestors—remarkable women linked to England's royalty—offering unique insights into Medieval, Tudor, and Stuart times. Her novels unfold not just as traditional series, but as an interlocking web of lives: The Lydiard Chronicles—including the celebrated The Lady of the Tower—The Godmother's Secret, and The King's Intelligencer explore everything from the English Civil War to the mystery of the Princes in the Tower. Her newest novel, The Queen’s Tears, a dual timeline pursuing a stolen crown jewel, reunites favourite characters from the seventeenth-century with a present-day bookstore owner heroine.
At the heart of her writing is the transformation of real ancestral histories into narratives of historical continuity. She follows threads of legacy through generations, guided as much by wills, letters, portraits, country churches, ruined castles, manor houses, and lost gardens as by imagination.
Locations become constant companions through time, while characters whisper across centuries—their decisions resonating in the lives of their descendants to reveal how choices shape legacies. Grounded in historic sites like Lydiard Park and the Tower of London, her work creates a living archival flow that continues to flourish as the past yields its secrets.
Elizabeth divides her time between California, England, and the past, surrounded by books, gardens, and animals, with a slightly bewildered, ever-supportive husband beside her.
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