1.
Secrets figure prominently in
Blood Between Queens
. Richard and Honor Thornleigh have kept Justine’s identity as a Grenville secret to spare her the stigma of being known as a traitor’s child. Were they right in making this decision?
2.
Justine has hidden from the Thornleighs the fact that her traitorous father is alive because she believes that he will never come back to England. Was she wise in hiding this crucial information from them?
3.
Justine doesn’t tell Will about her Grenville background for fear of losing him, convincing herself that the feud between their families is long past and best forgotten. Do you, like Justine, think that secrets are sometimes necessary?
4.
Several characters in
Blood Between Queens
have to make hard choices. Queen Elizabeth must decide what to do with her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, who has fled to England asking for Elizabeth’s protection and an army to rout her enemies in Scotland. But Elizabeth dare not antagonize her ally, the Scottish Protestant government, by helping restore Mary to her throne. Neither, though, can she allow Mary to move freely around England because of Mary’s dangerous appeal to English Catholics who want her on the English throne. Given this dilemma, do you think Elizabeth was justified in keeping Mary under house arrest?
5.
When Christopher Grenville fled England, he lost everything: his lands, his grand house, and even his daughter Justine, who has been brought up by his enemies, the Thornleighs. Do you feel any sympathy for Grenville in using Justine to get revenge on Richard Thornleigh?
6.
Mary, Queen of Scots refuses to attend the inquiry to answer questions about her involvement in the murder of her husband. Was she right to refuse to appear and refute the charges of her subjects? Do you think she was innocent or guilty of complicity in the murder?
7.
Hoping to help Mary clear her name, Justine tells Mary that the casket letters have been introduced in private at the inquiry as damning evidence against her. Did you think Justine was right to try to help Mary?
8.
Justine deceives Will in order to get his copies of Mary’s letters, hoping it will bring an end to the inquiry, and she seduces him to accomplish this. Do you think Justine’s deception was valid?
9.
Frances Thornleigh’s overwhelming love for her husband Adam makes her irrationally jealous of Elizabeth, so she helps her brother conspire against Elizabeth. Do you sympathize with Frances? Is love ever a justifiable motive for a crime?