HOW TO MEET THE QUEEN OF ANY ENGLAND

HOW TO MEET THE QUEEN OF ANY ENGLAND. A historical fantasy romance. Synopsis KARNU, a spirited shoemaker, falls deeply in love with young and lovesome JOSEPHINE, the queen of England. The cobbler has entertained his affections for Her Majesty for two whole years, but as the chasm between royalty and commoners only seems to widen before him, he resolves to give up on the love of his life. His quest to do so becomes stifled when he goes to see THE PRIEST, who gives him hope that he may yet, at last, be with his love. The priest soon becomes Karnu’s confidant and friend, and an unbreakable bond grows between them. At the age of nineteen, following the untimely death of her father, Josephine unpreparedly carries the weight of rulership in an era of male primacy. With both the queen and king deceased, through the help of MAGGIE, her motherly lady of the Bedchamber, she begins to learn to be a woman and the first female regnant of England. Fate joins the two lives when Josephine recalls a stranger in a church throng. The man she sees happens to be Karnu, whom she had dreamt about a few weeks before and insists that the COMMANDER finds out who he is. In time, Josephine begins to spy on the stranger, who, in the dream, confessed his immense love for her. Unrecognized by herself, the queen begins to fall in love with this stranger she finds charming and intriguing. Meanwhile, Karnu’s perpetual spying on Josephine (each morning she has tea on her bedroom balcony) also continues. This attracts the attention of Maggie and the Commander and gives Maggie an idea to let the two finally meet. Unbeknownst to Josephine, Maggie arranges this through a letter that implies Josephine’s hand and sends it to Karnu. Upon meeting, though in denial at first, her attitude is soon overcome by Karnu’s love for her. Josephine gives in to the cobbler and this marks the beginning of their trysts. Their secret romantic rendezvous continue, but duty compels Josephine to travel to Germany for a short while. Josephine is not herself upon return. The fears instilled in her by her godmother, the queen of Germany, compel her to end the relationship with Karnu. The two lovers argue their cases, but after much persuasion, Karnu wins Josephine over again. Things get grim when THE DUKE knows of their intrigue and becomes the bane of their lives. He confronts Josephine and threatens to have Karnu executed by law (“no commoner is to join with royal blood”). To save her beloved, she promises to abdicate the throne and have the duke crowned, with his promise of discretion and Karnu’s safety. After Josephine tells Karnu of this and asks that he elope with her, Karnu refuses to let such disgrace befall his Queen. Nevertheless, Josephine perceives things differently and gives him an ultimatum: to elope with her or end the relationship. Karnu’s love for her makes him agree to elope in exactly ten days. However, their plan is impeded upon receiving a missive in which Germany seeks help against a French onslaught. Help never gets there when the Duke opposes the idea and blackmails Josephine. Things worsen as her decision to protect Karnu gets Germany destroyed and the war comes to England.