to give or not to give information . . . ?

So, here's the basic problem: As I get feedback on my WIP, I find that people who know certian heistorical facts will misinterpret where the story is going becasue of histoical "clues" that lead them to think the wrong things. On the other hand, a certain amount of knowledge on the subject helps the story make more sense.

Here's the specifics: (A few of you might have read some of it when I posted it over in the sharing forum.) I am writing a story about the "Comtesse" de La Motte, who was from an obscure, bastard, impoverished branch of the Valois family. She really is not royalty in any sense of the word, and is in fact a conniving thief and a bit, well, loose. She tries to capitalize on her Valois heritage by making sure everyone knows about it. Here's the thing: for the reader to understand this, they have to know that "Valois" was a French royal house that petered out (many do not). However, if a reader knows that (which I assume a lot of historical fiction readers would) it seems to lead them to believe that the "Comtesse" is more important, well-bred, and respectable than she is. I try to make it clear at several points that she is a very distant relative of the king (something like fourth of fifth cousin and from the bastard line no less), but it still seems to lead people astray...

So, I need to balance those who don't know enough to understand what's going on and those who know enough to be misled by their knowledge...

Any suggestions? And please let me know if I wasn't clear, haha.

Thanks.

I'm going to have to do that without giving away anything or making the reader dislike her!

Wow, there seems to be a split in opinions. I'm going to have to mull this over...a note at the beginning may seem a little heavy-handed. But, as I also have to deal with changing names/titles, I might make a list of characters that gives the information to the reader.

And I have to say, I'm half of a mind to leave anyone who doesn't know the name Valois to their own devices, because frankly I think people should know that word, lol. But then I'm lame and I probably knew that word in middle school from reading about the wars of the roses (Catherine of Valois, you know). Then again, that isn't very charitable of me, is it?