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So The Queen’s Companion is that kind of gentle and sweet that I love in a romance yet (especially because of its time period) also struggles with the impossibilities that come with being a woman in love with a woman.

There is a scene where the main character goes to church to pray away her feelings. It is so sad and all too easy to relate to:

No matter how hard she tried to extinguish them, her thoughts returned again and again to Bella…The more she tried to shake her feelings loose, the more intense they became and the more she was afraid…

She prays and prays to God until her heart aches and still she has strong feelings for Bella, one of the ladies who attends to her. THIS is why I need lesfic in my life…because it speaks to me in a way nothing (or no one) else does. Everything Catherine feels and prays to leave her body and soul…THAT is how it’s been with me much of the time when I've liked someone I shouldn't.

The Queen has reluctantly agreed to marry for the sake of her country and for Bella’s safety (people are beginning to suspect the two women are in love). The pressure she faces to marry would seem like a mockery of the sacred institution (i.e. forcing someone to marry someone she doesn’t love) but given the time period, I imagine there isn't much choice involved. Gay or straight, many women throughout history were made to get married, through societal or family pressure.