The Queen’s Spade Summary, Characters and Themes

The Queen’s Spade by Sarah Raughley is a historical thriller that reimagines the life of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, a West African princess taken from her homeland and thrust into the British Empire’s upper echelons as a living symbol of colonial power.

Through her transformation from a powerless captive into a cunning and vengeful force within Victorian high society, the novel explores themes of identity, imperialism, and resistance. It unflinchingly exposes the cruelty behind the British “civilizing mission” and follows Sarah’s meticulously plotted quest to dismantle the very empire that sought to erase her. Combining psychological depth, social intrigue, and sharp commentary on race and power, The Queen’s Spade is a tale of survival turned into fierce retribution.

Summary

Sarah Forbes Bonetta, originally named Ina, begins her harrowing journey as a young West African princess captured amidst political violence and handed over to British colonial authorities. Presented to Queen Victoria as a “gift” and made the monarch’s goddaughter, Sarah’s life becomes a painful performance of colonial propaganda.

Underneath the polished exterior forced upon her, she harbors deep trauma from being displayed as a “civilized African” and from the cultural violence inflicted by those who view her as both exotic and expendable.

Her early years in England are marked by humiliation and forced assimilation. Sarah is educated in languages and manners, trained to be a model subject of the empire while hiding her true feelings.

The man who rescued her, Frederick Forbes, embodies the contradictions of colonial “benevolence”—offering safety while enforcing control and exploitation.

Despite the veneer of royal favor, Sarah knows she is a token, valued only so long as she serves the empire’s image.

Refusing to be a passive symbol, Sarah carefully nurtures a plan of revenge. Her first act is the murder of Mr. Bellamy, a predatory editor whose abuse she orchestrates into a public scandal, ensuring his disgrace and death disguised as an accident.

This act marks the beginning of Sarah’s transformation from victim to architect of retribution. She uses grace, intelligence, and social cunning as weapons, navigating the treacherous world of Victorian elite society while hiding a dangerous fire beneath her ladylike exterior.

As Sarah grows more confident in her role, she exploits the patronizing attitudes of the British elite, who see her as an “intelligent little thing” — underestimated and dismissed because of her race and gender.

She turns this to her advantage, deploying intricate schemes targeting those who have wronged her.

Central to this phase is her involvement in the royal wedding of Princess Alice, which she uses as a stage to trap Captain George Forbes, a man notorious for his hypocrisy and vice.

By manipulating romantic rivalries and Victorian social taboos, Sarah engineers a scandal that nearly destroys Forbes’ reputation, relying on a network that includes Sibyl Vale, a woman she grooms as bait, and Rui, a young leader of London’s criminal underworld.

Throughout this period, Sarah confronts the persistent memory of Ade, a boy who was murdered during their capture in Africa and whose death fuels her desire for justice.

Her double life, balancing high society’s expectations and the underworld’s dangers, becomes increasingly fraught.

An unexpected gunshot at an opium den nearly derails her plan, and even a surprise appearance by Prince Bertie threatens to expose her.

Meanwhile, Queen Victoria’s suspicions grow, foreshadowing an inevitable clash between patron and pawn.

In the final chapters, titled Conditional Love, Sarah faces the emotional and political consequences of her long quest.

The veneer of royal affection reveals itself as conditional and coercive, wrapped in cruelty disguised as maternal care.

Sarah confronts the oppressive system directly, symbolically challenging Queen Victoria herself and exposing the falsehoods behind the empire’s “civilizing mission.”

Surveillance and betrayal shadow her steps, yet she remains resolute.

Her acts of vengeance culminate in the ruin and disgrace of those who once claimed power over her.

Yet, the cost is high—each victory brings personal scars and deep reflection.

Sarah begins to write her memoirs in secret, determined to reclaim her story from imperial myth.

She rejects the imposed British identity and embraces her Yoruba heritage fully, symbolizing a return to sovereignty.

At the end, Sarah walks away from both royal favor and revolutionary allies, choosing solitude and autonomy over conditional acceptance.

No longer a mere “goddaughter” or token, she emerges as Omoba Ina, a queen reborn—sovereign, mournful, and fiercely free.

The Queen of Spades, her symbolic calling card throughout her campaign, signals not only the downfall of her enemies but also the assertion of her own unbreakable identity beyond empire and exile.

Characters

Sarah Forbes Bonetta (Ina / Omoba Ina)

Sarah is the central figure around whom the entire narrative revolves. Originally a West African princess named Ina, she is violently uprooted from her homeland and thrust into British high society as a colonial curiosity and “gift” to Queen Victoria.

Over time, Sarah transforms from a traumatized, objectified child into a sharp, intelligent, and calculating woman bent on dismantling the very empire that sought to exploit and erase her identity. Her journey is marked by layers of assimilation and resistance: she adopts the manners, language, and appearances expected of her by British elites, yet simultaneously weaponizes these tools to execute her revenge.

Throughout the story, Sarah’s character embodies the tension between imposed identity and self-assertion. She cleverly navigates elite social settings and criminal underworlds alike, proving herself a master manipulator who orchestrates public scandals that expose her abusers.

Importantly, Sarah’s quest for vengeance is not mere personal vendetta but a symbolic strike against the colonial system’s hypocrisy and violence. By the end, she rejects the conditional “love” bestowed by Queen Victoria and reclaims her original heritage and sovereignty, standing as an autonomous queen in her own right.

Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria appears as a complex symbol of imperial power and conditional maternalism. To the British elite, she is the benevolent monarch who “rescues” Sarah and elevates her as a model of the empire’s civilizing mission.

Yet, her relationship with Sarah is deeply fraught—characterized by control, objectification, and political expediency rather than genuine affection. The Queen’s role is ambivalent; she both patronizes and surveils Sarah, recognizing the threat that Sarah’s growing independence and cunning pose to the empire’s carefully maintained narratives.

Victoria’s suspicion intensifies as Sarah’s acts of revenge unfold, culminating in a symbolic confrontation where Sarah exposes the Queen’s moral hypocrisy. Through this, the narrative critiques the façade of British imperial “love,” revealing it as a tool of domination wrapped in the guise of familial care.

Mr. Bellamy

Mr. Bellamy is the first of Sarah’s targets, representing the predatory male power within the colonial and journalistic establishment. His character is emblematic of the sexual exploitation and racialized dehumanization Sarah endures upon her arrival in England.

As a powerful editor, he abuses his position to manipulate and objectify Sarah, becoming the initial figure she brings down through a meticulously planned scandal and his eventual death disguised as an accident. Bellamy’s fall signifies the beginning of Sarah’s active rebellion and serves as a symbolic act of retribution against those who commodify and violate her.

Captain George Forbes

George Forbes embodies another layer of British elite corruption and hypocrisy. Positioned as a morally questionable aristocrat, he is manipulated by Sarah during the royal wedding festivities.

Forbes is lured into an opium den trap through the involvement of Sibyl Vale, and his downfall is part of Sarah’s larger plan to dismantle the social order that enabled his abuses. Forbes’s near-death experience, precipitated by chaotic interference, underscores the dangerous stakes of Sarah’s revenge, while highlighting the fragile veneer of respectability maintained by imperial men.

Sibyl Vale

Sibyl is a pivotal figure caught in Sarah’s web of manipulation, serving as a pawn in the trap set for George Forbes. Though a lover of Forbes, Sibyl is largely unaware of the full extent of Sarah’s plans, making her both a victim and a tool.

Her grooming by Sarah into a seductress reflects the complexities of agency, complicity, and survival within the restrictive social hierarchies of Victorian England. Sibyl’s character underscores the collateral damage and moral ambiguity inherent in Sarah’s vendetta.

Ade

Ade is a ghostly presence throughout the narrative, a childhood friend whose brutal murder during their forced journey from Africa haunts Sarah’s conscience and fuels her determination.

Ade symbolizes the innocence lost and the human cost of imperial violence. His memory acts as an emotional anchor for Sarah, reminding her of the stakes of her mission and grounding her vengeance in personal grief as well as political outrage.

Rui and Harriet

Rui, a teenage opium den leader, and Harriet, a palace insider, represent the dual worlds Sarah inhabits and controls—the criminal underworld and the aristocratic elite.

Their alliances with Sarah highlight her multifaceted strategy and her ability to operate beyond traditional social boundaries. Rui’s role in executing plans within London’s illicit spheres and Harriet’s access to palace intrigues demonstrate Sarah’s broad network and influence, further reinforcing her transformation into a formidable tactician.

Themes

Subversion of Imperial Power Through Strategic Vengeance and Identity Reclamation

The Queen’s Spade is a sophisticated critique of imperialism, not as a distant backdrop but as a living system actively dismantled by the protagonist, Sarah Forbes Bonetta (Ina). The novel portrays colonial power as a deeply entrenched structure that uses spectacle, racialized tokenism, and “civilizing” missions to mask violent exploitation and dehumanization.

Sarah’s journey from a presented “gift” to Queen Victoria into a poised agent of revenge dramatizes how colonial subjects, once perceived as mere objects or trophies, reclaim agency by turning the tools of empire—manners, language, social manipulation—against their oppressors. Her vengeance is not merely personal retaliation but a strategic upheaval that exposes the contradictions of empire, revealing how the “model African” is both prized and discarded.

The narrative highlights how Sarah weaponizes her imposed identity and elite status to unravel the very myths of British moral superiority. She turns colonial assimilation into a mask that conceals her radical insurgency. This theme challenges simplistic notions of victimhood and empowerment, showing instead a complex negotiation with power that redefines what resistance looks like within an imperial framework.

Performative Mask of Respectability as a Mechanism of Psychological Warfare and Survival

A pervasive and psychologically rich theme in the book is the intricate dance between performance and authenticity, especially how Sarah navigates the demanding expectations of British aristocracy. The “ladylike” exterior she adopts is revealed as a carefully constructed façade—a weaponized mask that conceals her pain, cunning, and revolutionary intent.

This performance operates on multiple levels: it protects her from immediate violence, gains her access to the inner circles of power, and simultaneously allows her to orchestrate the downfall of those who believe themselves secure in their dominance. The novel explores the emotional and existential toll of this double life, showing how Sarah’s enforced civility is both a survival tactic and a form of rebellion.

The tension between outward decorum and inner turmoil exemplifies how colonized individuals were often compelled to navigate alien cultures by mastering the language and codes of their oppressors, all while nurturing their own subversive truths. The mask’s eventual removal in the final part signifies a critical moment of self-assertion where performance yields to confrontation, underscoring the costs and limits of such strategic duplicity.

Dynamics of Conditional Love, Racial Fetishism, and Emotional Tyranny Within Colonial Relationships

One of the more nuanced themes involves the toxic emotional economies underpinning Sarah’s relationship with Queen Victoria and the broader imperial project. The title of the final part, Conditional Love, points to the fraught and coercive “love” extended by the British Crown—love that is always contingent upon compliance, assimilation, and erasure of authentic identity.

Sarah’s experience exposes how colonial “care” often masked paternalistic control, racial fetishism, and emotional manipulation, creating relationships that were simultaneously intimate and deeply oppressive. Queen Victoria’s adoption of Sarah as a goddaughter is revealed not as a gesture of genuine affection but as a performative act symbolizing empire’s claimed benevolence, which demands gratitude and obedience in return.

This theme examines how “love” in colonial contexts was a form of power that controlled through surveillance, expectation, and conditional acceptance, blurring boundaries between protection and domination. Sarah’s final rejection of this “love” embodies a profound psychological liberation, unmasking the cruelty hidden beneath imperial kindness and affirming the necessity of rejecting imposed identities in favor of sovereign selfhood.

Persistence of Memory and Loss as Catalysts for Revolutionary Justice

Throughout the narrative, memory—particularly the trauma of loss—operates as a vital thematic current driving Sarah’s complex motivations. The repeated flashbacks to her early experiences of betrayal, exploitation, and the murder of Ade, a boy close to her, serve not only as emotional backstory but as a haunting force that energizes her relentless quest for justice.

The novel foregrounds memory as both a source of pain and a weaponized archive of truth against erasure by colonial histories. Sarah’s remembrance of suffering personalizes the political, transforming abstract critiques of empire into lived experience.

This theme also explores how trauma reverberates through identity and action, shaping how resistance is imagined and enacted. The persistence of memory contrasts with the empire’s attempts to rewrite narratives about Sarah, reinforcing the idea that historical and personal reckonings are inseparable.

In reclaiming her story and confronting her past, Sarah embodies a revolutionary form of remembrance that refuses silence and demands restitution beyond conventional closure.

Multifaceted Symbol of Feminine Retribution, Social Subversion, and Poetic Justice

The recurring motif of the Queen of Spades card serves as a rich symbolic thread that intertwines with Sarah’s evolving identity and the novel’s broader thematic architecture. The card represents more than mere vengeance; it is a signifier of feminine power that upends patriarchal and colonial hierarchies through subtle but lethal means.

Its presence marks moments of scandal, downfall, and poetic justice, framing Sarah’s acts as both personal retribution and emblematic resistance. The Queen of Spades as a motif encapsulates the tension between appearance and reality, luck and calculation, victimhood and agency.

It conjures a figure who is at once elegant and dangerous, inscrutable yet decisive—a queen who plays by her own rules within the constraints imposed upon her. This symbolism deepens the novel’s exploration of gender and power, as Sarah’s transformation from a “moldable exotic” to a sovereign avenger disrupts conventional narratives of female passivity and subservience.

She becomes a haunting and enduring emblem of social subversion.