Lady in Waiting: A Novel (41 page)

Janie:

I am sending you the letter from the man who sold me the boxes at the jumble sale, Mr. Edgar Brownton. He wrote to the auction house after he first bought them and asked about a key for that lockbox where you found the ring, but as you can see, that search went nowhere
.

No one knew about the ring, love. No one has known about it for a long time
.

You were meant to find it, I think. You know I am right. And you were meant to keep it
.

Glad to hear you are sleeping well for a change. And enjoying a bit of canoeing. You should come visit me this summer. We shall punt the Thames and I will show you the place where Queen Jane rode on the same water. You can wear her ring
.

Lovingly
,

Em

While much of the account of Lady Jane Grey’s life in
Lady in Waiting
is based on recorded fact, there is no evidence at all that Lady Jane Grey had been in love with anyone at the time of her death. The character of the dressmaker Lucy Day is fictional, as is the idea that Jane was given a betrothal ring. Is it possible that Lady Jane Grey was indeed in love with Edward Seymour, and is it also possible that no, she loved the man she married instead of him? Her literary remains do not give us a glimpse into that part of her heart.
Lady in Waiting
, then, is a book that explores the question “What if?” … one of the lovelier aspects of fiction.

Visit the author on the Web at
www.susanmeissner.com
.

1. Did you find yourself drawn more to the story of modern-day Jane or long-ago Lady Jane? Why?
   

2. Why do you think Jane conditioned herself to defer to others when an important decision had to be made? Can you relate?
   

3. What have you learned about yourself or life or God when you’ve had to wait? Do you consider yourself a patient person?
   

4. A quote by the French philosopher Diderot is mentioned in
   chapter 3
   . “What has never been doubted has never been proven.” Do you think that is true? Do you think this quote holds any significance to Jane Lindsay?
   

5. Do you think it’s conceivable that Jane truly saw no signs that Brad was unhappy? Why or why not?
   

6. Does Jane Lindsay’s mother have any redeeming qualities? Is there anything about her personality that makes her admirable? What about Lady Jane Grey’s mother?
   

7. What do you think Lucy Day’s strengths were? Why do you think she gave personality traits to the dresses in Jane’s wardrobe?
   

8. When Jane Lindsay’s mother has the clock fixed, Jane has a hard time thinking of it as the same clock. Is it the same clock? Do you approve of what her mother did? Would you have had the clock fixed? Why or why not? Why do you think some people are drawn to antiques?
   

9. In the end, Jane decides to stand by Brad during his crisis. What do you think of her decision?
   

10. If you had lived during the sixteenth century, would you have wanted to be a commoner, a noble, or a royal? Why?
    

11. Professor Claire Abbot tells Jane Lindsay that Lady Jane Grey was not entirely without choice; had she chosen to, she could’ve refused the crown and escaped to the North with the man she loved. What do you think of this suggestion? If Jane Grey had done something like this, how would it alter your opinion of her?
    

12. Where do you see Jane and Brad Lindsay in ten years? What do you think Jane Lindsay does with the ring?
    

I am grateful beyond words to:

• the incredibly gifted editorial team at WaterBrook Multnomah, especially Shannon Marchese, Jessica Barnes, and Laura Wright. I’m also grateful to Jennifer Peterson and Lissa Halls Johnson. Their collective insight and refining fire were invaluable to me.
  

• my agent, Chip MacGregor, for affirmation, encouragement, and candor.
  

• colleagues James Scott Bell and Vasthi Acosta for helping me see, feel, and breathe Manhattan, and marriage and family counselor Jeff Sumpolec for helping me visualize what a crumbling marriage might feel like.
  

• my husband and best friend, Bob, who has gallantly denied me the experience of knowing what a crumbling marriage might feel like.
  

• Judy Horning, proficient proofreader, first reader of anything I write, and mother extraordinaire.
  

• Pam Ingold, Kimlee Harper, and my book club gals for holding me up when down was easier.
  

• God, who is patience personified, genteel beyond measurement, and the kindest of kings.