The scandalous duchess by Anne ‘O Brien

Katherine Swynford has just lost her husband on the battlefield of Aquitaine and asks John Of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, if she can be reinstated in his household. John has just remarried to Constanza of Castile, a pure political alliance as he wants to claim the Spanish throne in his wife’s name. Upon their meeting John asks Katherine to share his bed with him. But does Katherine want to become mistress of one of England’s most powerful men and risk everything in doing that?

Katherine Swynford has become notorious as the mistress of John Of Gaunt. She was the mother of his four Beaufort children and her descendants would eventually ascend the throne as the Tudors. But to be honest, I didn’t know much about her and this novel proved a great opportunity to get to know Katherine better.

I didn’t know that Swynford was not her maiden name (it’s De Poet), but that is was the name of her first husband Hugh Swynford. Nor did I know that John’s marriage to Constanza did survive so long (more than 20 years). Or that Catherine had been dealt with so harshly during the Peasant’s Revolt. So I only knew the general outline of her life and it was nice to get to know her better in The scandalous duchess.

Katherine herself is portrayed as a serious, religious and loyal woman. Not exactly what you expect from a mistress. John is an ambitious and powerful duke who wants the best for his country, yet also power-hungry and chivalrous as he will do anything for the woman he loves. Their relationship is a true love match and I believe it must have been so. The most powerful man in England – after the death of his father and brother, John is one of the chief advisors of King Richard II – would never choose a ‘nobody’ as his third wife.

But because the book focuses so much on Katherine and her feelings, it’s sometimes far removed from the action. Katherine is very often just waiting for John and being informed by others of certain events. This makes the story a bit slow at times. Normally, the main characters in ‘O Brien’s books take a bit more part in the political action (Constance Of York or Joan Of Kent for example).

So it’s not my favourite O’ Brien novel, but I did enjoy reading it.

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Have you read anything on Katherine or John?