Book Description
It is 1568, three years since Ursula Blanchard exchanged her work as a spy in the service of her half sister, Queen Elizabeth, for the relative calm of married life. But when Elizabeth summons her, loyal Ursula senses there is more to her seemingly benign request than meets the eye. She is to pluck Penelope Mason, her inappropriately flirtatious protégé, from court and find the disgraced girl a husband, and she is also to deliver a secret warning to Elizabeth's arch rival, Mary, Queen of Scots. Gradually, Ursula comes to understand the true delicacy and danger of this mission. Exiled after the suspicious death of her husband, Mary is now a fugitive queen and a "guest" in northern England's daunting Bolton Castle. Ursula, with her blade-sharp acuity, can outsmart Mary's notorious charm and sidestep treasonous traps while extracting the truth. But can she protect those who look to her -- including young Penelope -- from a deadly game where, to those who hunger for power at all costs, murder is a small price to pay?

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Fiona Buckley's seventh Elizabethan mystery is another compelling blend of history and suspense. Over the years, Henry VIII's secret love child, Ursula Blanchard, has paid a high price for the honor of service to her queen. In addition to her duties as a Lady of the Presence Chamber, she has served as a royal spy, discovering and foiling plots against the throne. Embarking on her third marriage, Ursula hopes finally to retire from court and conspiracy alike, but fate soon has her bowing once again to political necessity. When her new prot￯﾿ﾽg￯﾿ﾽ at court, Penelope Mason, proves a romantic embarrassment, Ursula is summoned to reprimand the young lady on her behavior and to escort the troublesome girl to a distant estate on the Yorkshire moors that is to be her dower property. What few but Ursula know is that her public errand to Yorkshire conceals a private errand for the queen: delivering a secret warning to Mary Stuart, the exiled Queen of Scots, who is imprisoned at nearby Bolton Castle. Dealing with an unscrupulous steward and a wayward ward are troublesome, but not unexpected, pitfalls of the journey. Heartless highwaymen and a traitorous plot soon add unexpected dangers to what should have been a simple assignment -- and put Ursula again in the midst of a potentially deadly battle royal. Sue Stone

FROM THE PUBLISHER

It's 1568, and Mary, Queen of Scots, is Queen Elizabeth's captive. Forced to flee Scotland after her husband, Lord Darnley, dies mysteriously, Mary is now a "guest" at Bolton Castle in northern England, where she plots her escape and covertly pursues her claim to her cousin's crown.

Rarely have the historical stakes been so high, and rarely has Mistress Ursula Blanchard been caught in such dangerous territory. Herself an illegitimate daughter of King Henry VIII and half sister to Elizabeth, Ursula has served in the past as a lady of the bedchamber and, more important, as a spy for the Queen.

Now, Elizabeth once again sends Ursula on a perilous and secret mission. She must carry a confidential message from Elizabeth to Mary, who is a woman of legendary charm and charisma. Will Ursula, too, fall under Mary's spell? Can Ursula trust Mary's promises? Did Mary have her husband killed?

"Ursula travels north with her young daughter, Meg, and her ward, Penelope Mason. Penelope has disgraced herself at Elizabeth's court, making advances to a married man, and now Ursula must take her charge to the girl's Yorkshire estate - located conveniently close to Bolton Castle and Mary - and help her find a husband.

There's no shortage of candidates for the wealthy young woman, but will Penelope become a pawn in the royal chess game? In confronting Mary and her supporters, Ursula discovers that she's inherited more than just her father's royal blood. Surrounded by possible traitors, Ursula must make difficult and poignant choices to serve her Queen and to save herself and those she loves.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Smooth modern prose with only an occasional "strewth" for period flavor and an ingenious but easy-to-follow plot lift British author Buckley's seventh historical (after 2002's A Pawn for a Queen) to feature Ursula Blanchard, half-sister, confidant and agent of Queen Elizabeth I. In 1568, the queen summons Ursula to court ostensibly because Ursula's ward, Penelope Mason, has been paying too much attention to a married music master. Ursula travels with Penelope to the north of England to find a husband for her ward, but her real mission is to convey a very private verbal message directly to Mary Tudor, formerly Queen of Scots, who's held captive in isolated Bolton Castle. Ursula also seeks to learn what role Mary may have had in the recent mysterious death of her husband, Lord Darnley. Ursula suffers considerable pain, anxiety and concern for her own daughter in the process. Readers familiar with the mineral deposits in Yorkshire will have an advantage in solving one of her problems. Fans will be pleased to know that the author plans to write another seven books in this series notable for its thorough research and faithfulness to period. (Dec. 9) FYI: Buckley is the pseudonym of Valerie Anand, author of The Disputed Crown and other historical novels. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews