The First Princess of Wales (61 page)

AUTHOR’S NOTE

W
hen this novel was first published in 1984, England had a famous Princess of Wales, the former Lady Diana Spencer. I must admit that the last page of this story was somewhat inspired by Charles and Diana’s famous appearance on the balcony at Buckingham Palace above the cheering crowds on their wedding day.

However, now as I re-read and revise the novel, it strikes me that this love story of an earlier Prince of Wales more resembles the longtime, sometimes secret love between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, now called Duchess of Cornwall, but indeed Princess of Wales. The royal parents of the Plantagenet Prince of Wales and those of the Windsor Prince of Wales share a less than enthusiastic endorsement of these love matches. But then, those of us who love historical novels know that, indeed, in many ways, history does repeat itself.

Joan and her prince resided both in England and Aquitaine in southern France during the years to come. King Edward III outlived Prince Edward and was eventually succeeded by one of Joan and Edward’s two sons, who was crowned Richard II. As Prince Edward had promised his Jeannette, their son, as king, did adopt her own crest of a deer collared and chained with gold on a bed of Liddell Manor ivy.

Princess Isabella married her young French suitor Ingelram de Coucy and moved to France with him. Yet, despite a luxurious life there and the birth of two daughters [shades of the current Prince Andrew and his Fergie?], they were separated after twelve years of marriage when Isabella chose to live the rest of her life in England.

John de Maltravers, whom the Princess of Wales evidently either forgave or forgot, died in his own bed in 1365, perhaps with as much guilt on his conscience for Joan’s father’s sad death as Joan’s royal father-in-law took to his grave.

But for two lovers whose destinies entwined, a life together was theirs at last.

Karen Harper

April 2005

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

In Karen Harper’s sweeping novel, the years-long, tempestuous love story of Joan of Kent and Edward, the Prince of Wales, is brought to vivid life. As we follow the couple’s triumphs and tragedies, many themes for discussion come to light: the power of love, the rules of war, honor versus loyalty, and the bounds of tradition at odds with personal freedom. Consider these questions as your book group talks about
The First Princess of Wales.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.
The First Princess of Wales
is filled with colorful and intriguing characters, both at the heart of the story and at its edges. Which were some of the ones that stood out for you? Why?

2. “Joan just rolled her eyes at the wry, lively old woman, Marta, who had been so many things to her for as long as she could remember—nursemaid, companion, taleteller, playfriend, almost a mother, even” (Chapter One). Discuss Joan’s relationship with Marta. How would you best characterize it? Did it change as they each got older? If so, how?

3. Joan and Edward’s first meeting at King Edward’s court is anything but ordinary (Chapter Two). What did you make of their encounter? What did their meeting say about each of their personalities? Did it foreshadow any part of their long relationship?

4. Marta thinks, “If Joan of Kent, young though she be, were head of this family rather than her two elder brothers, the restful white hart on the family crest might well be a white, raging whirlwind” (Chapter One). Do you think Joan was wild? Compare Joan to Princess Isabella; which of the two seemed more reckless? Is “wildness” a good or bad quality to possess in
The First Princess of Wales
?

5. After the brutal murder of her husband, Joan’s mother, Lady Margaret, retreats from her family, shunning Joan in particular. Why does she do this? What are some of the effects this behavior has on Joan? Discuss their relationship. Joan’s young daughter, Bella, shares similarities with Joan in terms of her role in the family. What are some of these similarities?

6. “It is all vast, Lady Joan, vast and busy out there. Step out a moment if you wish. All will be as it will be, one way or the other, whatever you do” (Chapter Two). What do Morcar’s words to Joan mean, both in that moment and through the book? Did Joan believe in fate in the same way Edward did? Why or why not? What did you think of Morcar and his prophetic astrological charts?

7. Family, and familial duty, is at the center of
The First Princess of Wales.
Talk about the important, and sometimes detrimental, role family has on the main characters.

8. In thinking of Joan after their first meeting, Edward reflects, “She, for a certainty, would not be meek or willing. She, like his most prized destrier or precious female peregrine falcon, would take some handling and some taming” (Chapter Three). Can you think of some examples where Edward attempts to “train” Joan? Was he successful?

9. After her first meeting with Edward, Joan chastises herself for thinking about him: “Pure, rank foolishness to fathom love in so short a span, so impossible a circumstance” (Chapter Five). Why doesn’t she let herself fall for him? What’s behind Joan’s continuous efforts to deny herself what she truly wants?

10. Joan and Edward’s physical encounters are usually described with terms such as “assault,” “defense,” “conquer,” “surrender.” Why did the author choose these words of battle to describe what were romantic interludes?

11. As Joan and Isabella prepare to ride in the tournament dressed as men, Joan thinks, “It would be . . . a statement to anyone who tried to rule and control her and Isabella’s lives” (Chapter Ten). Did Joan succeed in making such a statement? What are examples of Joan’s similar actions? Did they have the desired effect? Why or why not?

12. “Power and victory assailed her: the king, doting on her, gazing fondly on her, yet unknowing of her true intents and purpose” (Chapter Ten). What did you make of Joan’s plan to seduce the king? What of her other attempts at revenge? Was it surprising that none succeed in the way she intended?

13. See the description of the clothing Joan and Isabella planned to don for the torch festival (Chapter Eleven). The author includes many detailed passages about clothing in
The First Princess of Wales.
What does clothing represent in this story?

14. The book is filled with the lyrics to the lutenists’ many songs, including those of Joan. What does music mean in
The First Princess of Wales
? Why is it such a potent form of communication?

15. Queen Philippa admonishes Joan: “Love fades, poor Joan, and then there is only duty and remembrance” (Chapter Twenty-five). Do you agree with the Queen’s words? What was the Queen trying to tell Joan?

16. Why do you think Joan and Edward’s love endured for as long as it did? Did their eventual marriage seem like it was well deserved? Why or why not?

17. In the author’s note, the author draws a comparison between Joan and Edward’s epic love affair and that of today’s Prince of Wales, Charles, and his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles. Do you agree with this comparison? What other sets of star-crossed lovers, British royalty or otherwise, can you compare to Joan and Edward?

L
OOK FOR THESE OTHER ELIZABETH I MYSTERIES FROM

KAREN HARPER

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Available from St. Martin’s / Minotaur Paperbacks

“Elizabethan history has
never been this appealing.”

—Newsday

A
ND DON’T MISS THE LATEST INSTALLMENT IN HARPER’S ACCLAIMED ELIZABETH I SERIES

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Now available in hardcover from St. Martin’s Minotaur

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LSO BY
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AREN
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ARPER

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The Thorne Maze

The Queene’s Cure

The Twylight Tower

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The Poyson Garden

Copyright © 1984 by Karen Harper

Reader’s Group Guide copyright © 2006 by Three Rivers Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Three Rivers Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com

Three Rivers Press and the Tugboat design are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Originally published as
Sweet Passion’s Pain
in the United States by Kensington Publishing Corp., New York, in 1984.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Harper, Karen (Karen S.)

[Sweet passion’s pain]

The first Princess of Wales : a novel / Karen Harper.—1st pbk. ed.

“Originally published as Sweet passion’s pain . . . in 1984”—T. p. verso.

1. Joan, Princess of Wales, 1328–1385—Fiction. 2. Edward, Prince of Wales, 1330–1376—Fiction. 3. Great Britain—History—Edward III, 1327–1377—Fiction. 4. Middle Ages—Fiction. I.Title.

PS3558.A624792S94 2006

813'.54—dc22 2005035118

eISBN: 978-0-307-35196-8

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