It gives me great pleasure once again to be hosting ELIZABETH ST.JOHN on a Coffee Pot Book Club blog tour, this time to share news of the very recent release of The King’s Intelligencer, her latest historical novel, set in seventeenth century England. This new novel is a companion to The Godmother’s Secret and The Lydiard Chronicles, and continues to explore one of the most intriguing of mysteries of the time: what happened to the Princes in the Tower.
Here you can find out more about The King’s Intelligencer, and read a fascinating article from Elizabeth about how she created the world of espionage for the book.
What is the book about?
London, 1674: When children’s bones are unexpectedly unearthed in the Tower of London, England’s most haunting mystery—the fate of the missing princes—is reignited.
Franny Apsley, trusted confidante to Charles II’s beloved niece and heir, Lady Mary Stuart, is caught up in the court’s excitement surrounding the find. Yet, as a dark family secret comes to light, Franny realises the truth behind the missing princes is far more complex—and dangerous—than anyone suspects. Recruited by her formidable cousin Nan Wilmot, Dowager Countess of Rochester, to discover the truth behind the bones, Franny is thrust into the shadowy world of intelligencers. But her quest is complicated by an attraction to the charismatic court artist Nicholas Jameson, a recent arrival from Paris who harbours secrets of his own.
Pursued by Nicholas, Franny searches for evidence hidden in secret family letters and paintings, and uncovers a startling diplomatic plot involving Lady Mary, which causes Franny to question her own judgment, threatens the throne, and sets England on a course for war. With only her courage and the guidance of an enigmatic spy within the royal household, Franny must decide how far she will go to expose the truth—and whether that truth will lead to England’s salvation or her own heartbreak.
In a glittering and debauched society where love is treacherous and loyalty masked, Franny must navigate a world where a woman’s voice is often silenced and confront the ultimate question: What is she willing to risk for the sake of her country, her happiness, and her family’s safety?
A captivating historical novel of conspiracy, passion, and courage, The King’s Intelligencer is one woman’s quest for a truth that could change the fate of a nation. A companion to the critically acclaimed best-selling novels The Godmother’s Secret and The Lydiard Chronicles, The King’s Intelligencer weaves together beloved characters and actual events to bring a suspenseful mystery to life.
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Intelligencers, Spies, and Secret Agents: Creating the world of espionage for The King’s Intelligencer
Elizabeth St.John
The inspiration for The King’s Intelligencer emerged from my research for The Godmother’s Secret, which delves into the story of the missing princes in the Tower of London. During my research, I found myself spending time in Westminster Abbey, particularly in the Chapel of the Innocents, where Sir Christopher Wren’s white marble urn is displayed, just by the glorious tomb of Elizabeth I.
Commissioned in 1674 by Charles II, the urn supposedly holds the bones of Edward V and Richard, Duke of York—the two princes who disappeared in the Tower of London. The inscription claims that these brothers being confined in the Tower of London, and there stifled with pillows, were privately and meanly buried, by the order of their perfidious uncle Richard the Usurper. The interred bones were found in the Tower after being buried for 191 years. But as I stood near the urn, only meters away from where my character Franny Apsley’s real-life parents, Sir Allen Apsley and Frances Apsley, are buried, I couldn’t help but question this official story.
This curiosity led me to Helen Maurer’s paper, “Bones in the Tower: A Discussion of Time, Place and Circumstance”, which raises doubts about the authenticity of the bones discovered in the Tower. Further investigation, including Annette Carson’s article “The Bones in the Urn,” provided even more questions. What if these bones weren’t the princes’ at all, but a politically convenient discovery for King Charles II to solidify his claim to the throne? After all, this was a time of intense political intrigue, where religion, power, and royal loyalty were in constant conflict. Reinforcing that no crime against the crown goes undiscovered could only strengthen Charles’s position.
The 17th century was a time of deep religious divides between Protestants and Catholics, and the political landscape was shaped by these tensions. While King Charles II outwardly practiced Protestantism, he was notably tolerant of Catholics. In fact, he converted to Catholicism on his deathbed. His brother, James II, was openly Catholic, a fact that led to his short-lived reign before being deposed by his Protestant daughter, Mary, and her husband, William of Orange.
It was in this atmosphere of religious and political conflict that espionage flourished. The idea of “intelligencers” emerged, and their role was to gather information—often through subtle means, and more frequently, unofficially. A friend once joked that intelligencers were the 17th-century equivalent of people who sit in coffee shops eavesdropping on conversations, and that description resonated with me. It perfectly fit not only the world of historical espionage but also my character, Franny Apsley, who would thrive in such an environment.
In real life, Franny’s family was deeply involved in this secretive world. Her parents, Sir Allen and Frances Apsley, as well as her cousin Nan Wilmot, Countess of Rochester, were involved in espionage during the English Civil War, before Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660. Allen was one of the founders of The Sealed Knot, while Nan was frequently know to “befuddle” Cromwell with her subterfuges to save her beloved Ditchley Park from sequestration. Later, Franny’s brother, Peter Apsley, was listed in household records as an intelligencer for both Charles and his brother, James II, receiving large payments for his covert work. These activities helped form the backbone of The King’s Intelligencer.
I’ve always enjoyed novels that incorporate historical texts and hidden meanings concealed within paintings, and in The King’s Intelligencer, I drew on elements from Lydiard Park’s history, including ancient books and painted monuments. Franny Apsley’s search through family documents and memorials offered rich opportunities for clues to the real mystery of the missing princes, helping her sharpen her investigative skills.
Wanting to not only write about family history, but place it in the context of the wider national landscape, I incorporated into the novel another fascinating discovery – King Charles II’s Secret Treaty of Dover. In this treaty, Charles secretly agreed to declare himself a Catholic in exchange for financial support from King Louis XIV of France. Although I fictionalized elements of another treaty between James and the French King, it was well-known at the time that Charles and James were deeply involved in secret negotiations with France, many of which were hidden from the public for over a century.
Researching family history can be an immersive and often surprising journey. While working on Written in Their Stars, part of The Lydiard Chronicles, I uncovered a family tradition of spycraft. The novel follows three extraordinary women—Luce Hutchinson, Frances Apsley, and Nan Wilmot—who played active roles in shaping history through rebellion and espionage during the English Civil War. This earlier generation of ancestors involved in intelligence work for King Charles fascinated me, and I knew I wanted to explore it further. Who better, I thought, than Nan Wilmot to pass the mantle of espionage to her young cousin, Franny.
The King’s Intelligencer connects these family stories in an immersive historical novel filled with conspiracy, passion, and courage. Following Franny Apsley as she embarks on a dangerous quest for truth, the novel blends fiction with fact, inspired by the hidden history I uncovered in both public records and private archives. This novel is a companion to The Godmother’s Secret and The Lydiard Chronicles, continuing the exploration of secrets buried in the past.
Book details and Buy link
The King’s Intelligencer was published for Kindle and in paperback by Falcon Historical on 15th October 2024.
It is available to read on Kindle Unlimited.
About the author
Elizabeth St.John
Elizabeth St.John’s critically acclaimed historical fiction novels tell the stories of her ancestors: extraordinary women whose intriguing kinship with England’s kings and queens brings an intimately unique perspective to Medieval, Tudor, and Stuart times.
Inspired by family archives and residences from Lydiard Park to the Tower of London, Elizabeth spends much of her time exploring ancestral portraits, diaries, and lost gardens. And encountering the occasional ghost. But that’s another story.
Living between California, England, and the past, Elizabeth is the International Ambassador for The Friends of Lydiard Park, an English charity dedicated to conserving and enhancing this beautiful centuries-old country house and park. As a curator for The Lydiard Archives, she is constantly looking for an undiscovered treasure to inspire her next novel.
Elizabeth’s works include The Lydiard Chronicles, a trilogy set in 17th-century England during the Civil War, and The Godmother’s Secret, which unravels the medieval mystery of the missing princes in the Tower of London. Her latest release, The King’s Intelligencer, follows Franny Apsley’s perilous quest to uncover the truth behind the sudden discovery of the princes’ bones. In Charles II’s court of intrigue and deceit, Franny must decide what she’ll risk—for England’s salvation, her family’s safety, and her own happiness.
You can connect with Elizabeth and follow her on Social Media:
BookBub • Amazon Author Page • Goodreads
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Thanks so much for hosting Elizabeth St.John today, Carolyn. What a fascinating post!
Take care,
Cathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club
Thanks for having me today Carolyn! It was fun to share the secret world of intelligencers!