THE WALSINGHAM WOMAN

For the third time Jan Westcott turns to the struggle for power in England for her milieu. The Border Lord and The Hepburn were Scottish border tales; The Walsingham Woman is set against Elizabeth's London in her final struggle against the Spanish might, her desperate conflict in Ireland, and the internecine strife for power within her court. Frances Walsingham- wife of Sir Philip Sidney, secretly wed after his death to the powerful favorite, the Earl of Essex, and- after the story's end, ultimately the wife of the man she had always loved, Rickard de Burgh, Irish nobleman, Frances Walsingham was hated by the Queen, refused recognition as the Countess of Essex, and recognized as a potent force in the machinations of the politicians for power. Hers is a compelling and melodramatic tale, and Jan Westcott has made good use of good copy. The period and its foibles, the hollow shell of wealth and power, all combine to provide good period entertainment.