Written by Philippa Gregory
Read by Davina Porter
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 32 Kbps
Unabridged

The Virgin’s Lover – 17hrs 8min – Davina Porter
Elizabeth I has acceded to the throne of England, a position she has waited and schemed for all her life. Advisers surround her; all convinced that they know what would be best for the country and certain that a young woman cannot form political judgments. Elizabeth feels that she can rely on just one man: her oldest friend, Robert Dudley. It is soon plain that he is more than merely a friend.

In a house in the countryside waits a very different woman, Amy Robsart — Robert’s wife. She has no taste for life at court and longs for the day when her husband will return home and attend to his family. She has loved him since she was a girl, but now they are adults she hardly sees him.

Meanwhile, the pressure grows for Elizabeth to marry, for it is unthinkable that a queen should rule on her own. Elizabeth’s preference is clear, but he is unavailable. But what if the unthinkable were to happen…

Gregory answers the question about an unsolved crime that has fascinated detectives and historians for centuries. Using documents and evidence from the Tudor era and, with almost magical insight into the desires of Robert Dudley and his lovers, she paints a picture of a country on the brink of greatness, a young woman grasping at her power, a young man whose ambition is greater than his means, and the wife who cannot forgive them.

Personal Note—There are dozens of books psychoanalyzing Elizabeth and her quirks. One of the best is Elizabeth the Great by Elizabeth Jenkins.

The book has 15 disks with 12 chapters titled by the season of the year. Four chapters are 2 1/2 to 4 ½ hours long and I have cut them to disk length